Shaka Steel Aloha Shirts

I'm back in the studio again after a month on the mainland and a week adjusting to real life and getting kids ready for school. I'll be working hard for the next few weeks on a large order of Aloha shirts for the Shaka Steel Band. I am using a traditional Aloha Shirt pattern but have added a few inches of extra length to the hem  to insure the shirts don't show bellys when mallets are swinging overhead.

For large orders like this I offer a bulk quantity discount. I sew through each size in an assembly line method cutting everything, then applying interfacing to everything, then sewing all the collars, etc. It helps to keep each item more uniform but it also takes a lot of organization.

For this project I will be going through about 50 yards of fabric, 20 yards of interfacing, 6 spools of thread and 120 wood buttons. I estimate it will take me 10 days to complete. 

The Shaka Steel Bands' first concert is the 27th of August. I can't wait to see the shirts in action.

Update:

Here's one of the finished shirts. Not a great picture--there's a reason I'm a professional seamstress not photographer. I'll post pictures from the concert after it happens.