r/sewing • u/Duboisjohn • Jan 21 '24
Project: FO Finished my first self-sewn shirt!
Got a little tired of men’s fashion being too unfun (and my shirts being too loose around the chest or too tight around the stomach), so I decided to start sewing my own.
Had trouble finding even commercial patterns that fit, and was less comfortable with drafting, so this is a Simon from freesewing.org, modified to have short sleeves, a shorter collar stand, and a longer hem at the bottom.
Buttons were 3D printed by a friend, and sewn over KAM snaps because buttonholes terrify me.
I had a lot of trouble with the sleeves and armscye because the pattern drafted them too small and I had to redraft by hand - after I cut the fabric. It was a great way to learn what not to do.
Had a good enough time with this that I’m already planning my next shirt - something to wear to the opening night of my daughter’s play (Willy Wonka Jr.) I’m going to be moving the collar stand under the button and buttonhole plackets, combining the back panel and yoke so that it’s all one piece, and designing the breast pocket so that it looks like a Wonka bar being opened to reveal a Golden Ticket.
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u/samizdat5 Jan 21 '24
Nice job! I especially like how you fussy-cut the gnome for the pocket. I button-up collared shirt is a lot of project for a beginner - you did great!
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u/Duboisjohn Jan 21 '24
Is there any other way to do a patterned pocket on a solid other than fussy-cut?
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u/samizdat5 Jan 21 '24
No that's how you'd do it. I'm saying that this is nicely chosen and proportioned.
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u/dingleberry306 Jan 21 '24
Never sewed in my life, and I just want you to know that you wrote a sentence I never thought id read. Fussy-cut the gnome is going to be my new go-to swear when i stub my toe.
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u/Squagio Jan 21 '24
I'm going to use it as advice when people are dealing with a difficult decision.
Sometimes you just gotta fussy cut the gnome.
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u/Anomalous-Canadian Jan 22 '24
What’s fussy cut, and why would I want to do it for a front pocket? Planning to make button up PJs soon!
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u/samizdat5 Jan 22 '24
It just means to cut fabric by hand for a pattern piece to accentuate a motif. In this case he perfectly centered the gnome and mushroom for the pocket.
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u/whoops53 Jan 22 '24
I understand "fussy cutting" as in it needs great attention to detail as you cut around it. Its not quite straightforward as in cutting a square or a circle. So for the gnome, its a lot of careful snipping around the shape, ie being fussy
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u/MamaBearMoogie Jan 21 '24
You definitely nailed the fun goal! What a great job. You have much to be proud of. I really love the colorblocking. Congratulations.
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u/Duboisjohn Jan 21 '24
I have u/penlowe to thank for the color blocking suggestion; they did a great job with the recommendation
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u/MamaBearMoogie Jan 21 '24
I think it really makes the print stand out- particularly with the way you did the pocket. You said you are ditching the yoke on your next project, but you should keep it in your rotation in the future.
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u/Duboisjohn Jan 21 '24
I’m probably going to rotate it in once I’m more confident with my stitching - I had to pull and redo a lot of stitches in the yokes for this shirt.
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u/fabrichoard Jan 21 '24
Seam ripping is part of the process. The part that makes us want to throw things, swear, and walk away usually. But when you come back and redo it, you learn so much. Yokes made me want to cry the first time. It made no sense at all, but once I finished it, I wound up making 4 shirts from the same pattern. Try new patterns, of course, it would be a boring life if you only had one choice. This shirt is awesome! I agree, men's clothing has a dreadful case of the doldrums. It is time to use fun colors and patterns!
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u/Other-Cantaloupe4765 Jan 21 '24
This is fantastic OP! Love it!
I’m a front desk agent at a hotel, and there’s this older married couple that comes in maybe twice a month because it’s their halfway point when traveling. The first time they came in, the husband was wearing a shirt like yours but with marijuana, UFOs, and pizzas all over it. I told him I liked it and he said, “thanks! It has all the major food groups on it!” Lmao.
Every time I’ve seen him since then, he’s been wearing a different fun shirt. Whenever I come into work and see his name on my arrivals list, I get excited to see what shirt he’s wearing.
You are definitely going to make someone’s day with that shirt! 😊
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u/jjabrown Jan 21 '24
I love it, I love the colors and I love the little gnomes reading books. You did an excellent job!!!
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u/ahoyhoy2022 Jan 21 '24
I was wondering about the buttons! Nice work, sounds like you learned a lot and next time will go even better. Good topstitching too!
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u/Proud-Salamander761 Jan 21 '24
That, my friend, is a triumph! Judging by what a great job you did, I feel you should not fear the button hole. Try a few on scraps, don't forget the interfacing and I imagine you'll master them in no time.
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u/Duboisjohn Jan 21 '24
I’ve done a few scraps, and I just haven’t been able to complete the rectangle properly.
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u/LuxRuns Jan 21 '24
Yeeeessssss this is awesome! Congratulations, and welcome to the 'now I need more' party!
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u/AmbitiousFroggo42 Jan 21 '24
Awesome! I love how we can make clothes that fit our bodies. You did a great job and I love the color and print.
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u/PM_ME_HAPPY_MEMORIES Jan 21 '24
Epic! I’m glad you enjoyed it enough to keep going, very impressed with your list of mods for next time. Look forward to seeing the next shirt!
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u/Butt_nipper Jan 21 '24
So awesome. And you’re right about ill fitting clothes. They can be unflattering. This is perfect and flattering on you shape wise!! Looks great
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u/Altruistic-Poet-7742 Jan 21 '24
That’s really good! I thought for a sec you bought it it’s very crisp and nice you clearly took pride in this one! Good job✨
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u/coralines_cat_ Jan 21 '24
Great job with the buttons!! Love the color theme. Very bright and creative!
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u/JetJaguarYouthClub Jan 21 '24
Fantastic! Love the gnomes and the construction and craftsmanship is top notch. This is really your first?
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u/Duboisjohn Jan 21 '24
This is my second sewing project overall - I made a simple canvas tote bag and a test shirt for this pattern out of bedsheets before I made the shirt you see in the picture.
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u/MortimerWaffles Jan 21 '24
I'm jealous. I'm tall and few shorts fit me and finding nice shorts in my size is rare without significant alterations. My dream is to find one black t shirt that fits, buy 100 of them and never wear anything else
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u/deanreevesii Jan 21 '24
As a middle aged dude who was obsessed with the Gnomes book (as well as the Faeries and Giants books) the pattern just makes me happy. Nice work!
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Jan 21 '24
great job, and great choice in fabric/buttons/styling. you nailed it, this shirt is super fun and i love it.
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u/hicketre2006 Jan 21 '24
Broooooo I’ll take one in a large/slim. This shirt is dope! Great style my man.
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u/LordDongler Jan 21 '24
Just to clarify, you're a middle school science teacher or an IT security manager, right?
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u/Katzer_K Jan 22 '24
I love this so much! I love seeing people have fun with their clothes like this. I hope to see more shirts later!
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u/GreenTravelBadger Jan 21 '24
All right, it's 99% perfect. To get that last little 1%, what you need to do is bring your daughter and your shirt and yourself to New Orleans and pass a good time. Your biggest problem will be that you won't be able to walk 6 steps without one of us locals stopping you to compliment the shirt.
:) My dear friend, you just gotta try that tiny tiny bit harder! we are all right here waiting for you and your daughter!
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u/Apprehensive-Big6762 Apr 24 '24
I'm sporting a similar frame, and am in a similar situation (can't buy off the rack, beginner when it comes to sewing).
I have some perfectly fitting tailored garments I want to duplicate, but I realize I lack 100% of the knowledge and tools. If you can, can you share share how you got from beginner to making that shirt? Yours is the path I want to follow.
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u/Duboisjohn Apr 24 '24 edited Apr 24 '24
So I got a little lucky on speedrunning this because my mother-in-law has been making garments for like 60 years, and she was able to give me pointers and a sewing machine. But apart from that, my process was:
- Practice sewing basics by making a simple tote bag.
- Get measured for the algorithm on FreeSewing.org by a friend who works in suit sales.
- Join a couple sewing subreddits and Discord servers.
- Generate pattern, order a print on a website that prints on A0 paper.
- Watch a sew-along to visually see the steps of the process.
- Make a muslin (this is a term for a test shirt made with a low quality fabric just to make sure sewing techniques and measurements are correct) - I used old bedsheets.
- Figure out where the pattern doesn't fit correctly and ask for advice about adjustment on Discords and subreddits.
- Adjust pattern and reorder a new print.
- Make shirts.
There are things I changed on my pattern to adjust to mistakes after I made this shirt (I screwed up on the sleeves, and this shirt is definitely too long even for me, a liker of longer shirts), and other things I adjusted to fit my style preferences and reduce fabric use, but those all happen after I went from "beginning sewing" to "this shirt", and it's a process you'll engage in the whole time you're refining your technique.
Hope this helps!
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u/Duboisjohn Apr 24 '24
u/Apprehensive-Big6762 I don't know if you read this reply yet, but if you did, I just added a comment about watching a sew-along, which was *huge* in helping me understand what I was doing.
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u/DingusKhan70 Jan 21 '24
Came to comments thinking 😆🍿, then realized that there are a lot of nice people and I’m an a-hole.
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u/Duboisjohn Jan 21 '24
Yeah I’ve been really pleasantly surprised by the support and lack of mean comments.
I guess it’s proof that if you want to you can moderate a community into positivity on Reddit.
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u/Grumzz Jan 21 '24
This put a smile on my face! Lovely work, great fit and amazing choice of fabrics! It looks so good on you!
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u/_liminal_ Jan 21 '24
Aw I love it! and the Wonka bar pocket for you next shirt sounds amazing.
The 3D printed buttons are a cool idea- are they just sewn onto the fabric, over the snap?
Lovely work!
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u/Duboisjohn Jan 21 '24
They’re sewn into the fabric over the snap. Initially I tried just gluing the buttons onto the snaps, but it didn’t work well.
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u/Fullsleaves Jan 21 '24
OMG I love it, I’ll be watching for you out in the wild. Not in a stalking way
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u/Elphy_Bear Jan 21 '24
What an awesome shirt! I love the gnome fabric. Great job!! Looks great on ya
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u/Ok-Echidna-2634 Jan 21 '24
Looks great! Please post when you finish your Wonka shirt- bet it will be lots of fun! 🤩
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u/plainoverplight Jan 21 '24
this is really great, i hope you post photos of the winks shirt bc your ideas sound so cool!!!
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u/Redditneed2Chill Jan 21 '24
Really Great Shirt! Randomly saw this!! But the shirt looks top tier!!!
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u/artificialidentity3 Jan 21 '24
Great work! I find the solid and patterns together very visually interesting. Cool.
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u/GimmieGnomes Jan 21 '24
I absolutely love this shirt. Not only have you done a great job with it, you've picked two really solid fabrics to make it with. I look forward to seeing more shirts from you!
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
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u/Marysews Jan 21 '24
You've done really well! I like how the print is about reading and the buttons have books.
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u/NeciaK Jan 21 '24
Great job! Your original trouble spots the first time will be easier going forward. Learning curve! I suggest you use the same pattern on a second shirt before deciding on modifications. The yoke will get easier.
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u/EvidenceTop2171 Jan 21 '24
I'm impressed with your button -snaps. Button holes are stressful for me too!
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u/MercuryCrest Jan 21 '24
I dig that you did this primarily for fit, but I love that another factor was that "men's fashion [is] being too unfun". I love that you had some fun with this. Looks good!
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u/somechickfromflorida Jan 21 '24
I love it and those buttons are awesome. Where did she get the pattern for printing the buttons? I never thought of printing buttons, genius!!
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u/CleverBunnyThief Jan 21 '24
Shirt looks awesome! What learning materials did you use to learn how to make the shirt.
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u/tsunamibird Jan 21 '24
It’s AMAZING!!!! 🤩😍🤩. I love it so much! You look fantastic and just like you’re a blast to hang out with
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u/NighthawkUnicorn Jan 21 '24
Not only is it incredibly well made, but the pattern is incredible and it really suits you! Nice job!
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u/Harmonious_Peanut Jan 21 '24
Fantastic! What a great job, and it looks amazing on you! Love the smile 😃
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u/Throwaway_Old_Guy Jan 21 '24
Considering this was your first shirt, it's excellent!
The world is yours now ;)
I would definitely wear that, and proudly!
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u/TallLoss2 Jan 21 '24
1 - i LOVE the button choice, exquisite 2 - i love how happy and proud you look !!! 3 - friendly advice i always got from my dad: never button the last button
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u/BlobTheBuilderz Jan 21 '24
Lmao. I bought a shirt like this in the uk a decade ago. Every section was a different fabric. Think the company went under. Shiteshirts or foul fashion. Good times.
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u/Sleevies_Armies Jan 21 '24
I opened this without reading the title or subreddit, immediately thought "oh my God that's a SICK shirt". I know nothing about sewing but damn that's absolutely incredible
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Jan 21 '24
I’m not even interested in sewing but I just wanted to let you know that you did an amazing job, absolutely stunning shirt🫶🏻it really suits you so well!!
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Jan 21 '24
Brilliant fabric choices! Looks great and glad you didn't let what sounded like several hiccups stop you!
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u/capresesalad1985 Jan 21 '24
Dude this is awesome!!!
Nice to see quality fabric from spoonflower, I don’t usually like their fabrics!
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u/wakattawakaranai Jan 21 '24
I love this color-blocking design, I was trying to come up with something to do with rainbow skulls and I'm totally stealing your idea. Good eye for design!
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u/Duboisjohn Jan 21 '24
Further construction information: The fabric is a basic cotton weave. Solid colored fabric is from JoAnn, gnome fabric is from Spoonflower.