{The Rite Stuff} Bulldog Wabash Discharge-dyed Pullover Work Shirt (Sulfur Black)

Straight out of Rite Stuff research comes a shirt pattern I found in a photo postcard and decided to recreate: I call it the Bulldog Work Shirt. The pattern is one I found on a workman in a 1920s postcard in my personal collection, a pullover (referred to as a ‘closed front’ shirt at the time) Stifel fabric work shirt. This is consistent with the 1920s, when most work shirts were still made as pullover shirts. For the Bulldog I chose a selvedge discharge-dyed dot stripe wabash fabric, milled in Japan, in both indigo and black sulfur dye in a versatile, year-round 5 oz weight. Both the indigo and sulfur fabrics used will fade with washing and wear so you can enjoy the unique aging characteristics your garment takes on. Wabash fabric was popular with both railroaders and regular working men for its neat appearance and hard-wearing nature. Why was it called wabash? Read my blog post on the subject to find out. “Bull Dog” was the name of Stifel’s wabash fabric used in children’s overalls