Spring/Summer Men’s Shirts
The weather is warming up here in Tennessee, and comfort on those hot, humid days is what I had in mind with these shirts. I chose two lightweight warm weather fabrics. The first is a small check blue and white gingham, and the second shirt is made from a light gray Pima cotton. Both are 100% cotton and feature a single pocket on the left hand side. I may end up adding buttons to the collars to make sure they don’t flair out too much, but I want to wear the shirts a bit more to see how the collars naturally fall.
Back in January, I started re-working my shirt pattern in anticipation of needing a couple of spring/summer shirts. There was too much ease in the back of my first few shirts, which caused them to “poof” when tucked. Overall, I ended up taking out about 2 inches of extra room from the back of my shirt pattern.
Another major change I made was to the length of the shirttails. On my first three shirts, I purposely left the tails somewhat shorter than normal so I could leave the shirts un-tucked and not look like I was wearing a dress. I’ve pretty much decided that un-tucked shirts look sloppy and a little juvenile (maybe I’m getting old?). This time around I lengthened the shirttails to make sure they didn’t pull out when tucked.
I also made a couple of small changes to the collar. I slightly widened the spread of the collar points, and I made the collar taller by about 1/4 inch. Lastly, I took out a little ease from the sleeve, raised the arm hole, and refined the shape of the side seams. While I was happy with the fit of my first shirts, the above modifications are definitely an improvement.
I kind of wish I could photoshop that stupid look off my face.
This picture was taken right after I finished sewing on the buttons. It fits better than depicted above. I should have ironed the shirt first, and it would help if I was standing up straight instead of leaning on that railing.
Hi from Sydney! I have been searching for a gorgeous shirt pattern for my husband and yours is unbelievably perfect. Would you be at all interested in selling a copy? I’m happy to grade to the correct size if need be.
Bw Suzannah
great shirts!
my boyfriend gas this shirt he has worn till it has a massive tear in it because he loves it so much (like the checked one you’ve made here) I love the shirts you’ve made, I only wish I could make something as nice!
i’m enjoying your blog a lot!
Allison.
Suzannah,
Thanks! I am flattered that you would be interested in buying a copy of my pattern. Eventually I need to transfer the pattern to a heavier card stock and mark all of the necessary notches, grain lines, etc. This would make it easier to reproduce. Since I drafted it, I don’t really need any of the markings found on most commercial patterns. When I have some extra time I might sit down and do this.
Hi Allison,
Thank you for your kind words. I always love finding new blogs related to sewing and look forward to reading yours.
Taylor
Only the last pic shows on my browser, but it looks wonderful — great job, Taylor!
Looking good!
These are beautiful. How do you get the collar points so sharp? I can never do that.
Thanks Fred! Up close they could actually be quite a bit sharper compared to a store bought shirt. This is one area that I wish I could improve. I cut the seam allowances as close to the stitch line as possible, turn the point, and before I press, I try to “dig” the point out as much as possible with a needle from the right side. You can really do some damage to the fabric and also run the risk of pulling the seam apart, so be careful, but it helps to get the point a little sharper.
The shirts are wonderfully made and beautiful. What did you use for interfacing? I am currently making a shirt and, for the first time, am attempting using cotton muslim.
Thanks Mike,
For the interfacing I used a woven, non-fusible, sew-in that worked really well. It is a medium weight cotton/poly blend. I used a bleached 100% cotton muslin for my first shirts and it was fine except that I wanted something a little heavier weight this time around.
Excellent shirts and so beautifully made.
Great looking shirts! Happy to have found yet another shirtmaker!
I am a custom ShirtMaker by profession, and have many tutorials on my blog…including drafting collars, point turning, etc. You are welcome to visit anytime 🙂
Glad you like the shirts! That means a lot coming from a pro! Your blog has tons of useful information, very informative. I’ll be sure to read through the tutorials before my next batch of shirts. I always love finding new resources. Thanks for stopping by.
Taylor