I have entered into the world of sewing menswear! If you had told me a year ago that I would be sewing a flannel plaid button down shirt for my brother I would have thought you were crazy. In fact, once this brother of mine said, "You should make me a flannel shirt," and I just laughed!
I have sewn two other men's patterns in the past year (both t-shirts, one for this brother and one for my dad). I enjoy sewing plaid shirts for myself, so I thought it would be fun to venture out and attempt to sew one for my brother. I found the fabric first (on sale for $3/yard at Cali Fabrics) and then I read some reviews on men's shirts.
Obviously, I decided on the Liesl and Co. All Day Shirt. It had good reviews, I liked the casual style, and I have had good luck with other patterns from this company. This pattern was very well written and I learned so much! I have made plackets and collars before in shirts for myself but there were different techniques used in this pattern. It was a good challenge for me to try something new and learn some new skills in the end.
This a straight medium with no changes made to the pattern. I am still learning about fitting women's patterns and men's fitting is a whole different ballgame! I decided to just go with the pattern as is and see what happens (which is what I usually do in my sewing anyway)! I am not too experienced with fitting, but I think it is a pretty great fit right out of the package! My brother's measurements put him in a size medium. However, I think his neck size is slightly bigger than the medium size and that is something I would change for next time. He is not able to button the very top button on the collar, but he informed me that this does not matter since he never buttons that button anyway.
Check out that placket! I'm super happy with my matching skills here. I was trying to make it work when I cut out the pattern, but I wasn't sure if it work in the end. I am really picky about matching plaid because RTW shirts almost never match. I'm happy to say that the sleeve placket matches nearly perfectly on both sides. I also liked the method used in the pattern.
As much as I love matching plaid, I'm also a lazy sewist and that's why I chose to cut the yoke on the bias! However, I think cutting on the bias adds interesting detail too! I cut the yoke, pockets, and cuffs on the bias for this shirt.
I know you can't see the shirt well in this picture, but I thought it turned out pretty neat!
As much as I like sewing for myself, I enjoy sewing for my siblings too! I think plaid shirts are on my list of favorite things to sew too (since this is the third one this year including the ones I made for myself)! It's not a quick and "easy" project, but it is so satisfying once you are finished.
Have you sewn any men's patterns?
~Elizabeth
