Burda 6874: Men's Stripy Shirt

I've actually done some unselfish sewing this past weekend and made my Husband a shirt. This is the second shirt I have made him - the previous shirt hasn't had much wear as it is not as fitted as my Husband would like. We've just had our first wedding anniversary last weekend, so this a (belated) anniversary present for him.

The pattern is Burda 6874. I'm going to go ahead and say that I didn't choose this pattern - my Husband came home from work one day proud as punch with this pattern in hand, which he had chosen and ordered by himself from the John Lewis website. It's really nice to have a partner who is involved and actively encourages my hobbies. However, this is probably the worst pattern I have ever worked from.

The instructions are minimal and sometimes confusing. I agonised over which size to cut out. My poor Husband was subjected to repeat measurements and comparisons of the finished garment sizes. I consulted the size chart on the Burda website but this didn't really help. In the end I went for a size 38, which based on the finished chest sizes would be too big but the yoke should just about fit across his shoulders.



The fabric is a polycotton striped shirting, with a white background and navy blue stripes which I picked up for £1 per metre on a recent trip to Walthamstow. The idea was to use some cheap fabric to create a hopefully wearable muslin to test the fit. It was nice to work with and has a very slight stretch.

I did make some changes to the pattern and the construction:

• I cut Version C, but only used one pocket. I made the pocket square because ironing the seam allowance on a curved pocket was tricky (Shh ... don't tell the Husband, he'll never know!) I also didn't sew a buttonhole onto the top of the pocket #lazyseamstress 
• My Husband wanted a short sleeved shirt so I measured the length of the one his existing short sleeved shirts, added seam allowances and then just folded the pattern piece accordingly.
• I cut the yoke perpendicular to the grain instead of on the bias, so that the stripes are horizontal.
• In order to avoid hand stitching the yoke facing I used the burrito method which is much easier. There is a great burrito yoke facing tutorial by Grainline.
• I totally ignored the construction directions for the collar, instead using instructions on sewing a collar by four square walls. 

Once I had made the yoke I tried the shirt on him, pinning the front plackets together to get a sense of how it would fit. Surprisingly it fitted well, but to give my husband a bit more wiggle room, I sewed the seam allowances at the shoulders, sleeves and sides at 3/8".

As this was only a wearable muslin, I was very lazy with matching up any of the stripes. I did make sure the pattern pieces were running along the grain so there were no wonky stripes. The shirt was actually really quick to make - I cut it out and started it on Saturday morning and then finished it on Monday afternoon. Thankfully, the fit is really good and he is pleased with it.

I also managed to mislay the diamond shaped pattern piece needed to make the tiny triangles at the bottom of the side seams. I just measured the correct width and height to cut them out. I'm pleased with how they have turned out. Surprisingly I had some issues with the curved hem on the shirt, but found an ace tutorial on how to hem a curved edge by machine by Colette, which solved the problem.

I'm still having issues with the collar. I've managed to get it looking neat but I've centred it around the edge of the right front, when in fact should be centred around the inside edge of the placket so it does not sit evenly. It's not that noticeable but now I'm aware of it I will be able to make sure it looks better next time.

My Husband has also requested that the sleeves be slightly longer, so I need to add around 1" so they are a better length. 

I've decided it's not bad for a first attempt! I think it will be a wearable muslin and it has certainly given me the confidence to attempt another to fix some of the issue with this one. 

Have you ever made a shirt?