I’ve been wanting to try my hand at menswear for a while, and the opportunity arose to make a man’s button down shirt. I was excited because it would also involve altering the basic pattern for a man that is “hard to fit”. We decided on Kwik Sew 3422, because of it’s design, collar options, and sleeve options. We went to Joann’s (my Hancock Fabrics is going out of business 😦 ) and he picked out a paisley print cotton. After two muslins and fittings to get the fit and pocket placement right, I was ready to get to it.
As a pattern review, I made View A in a size Large, with some alterations to fit and please the recipient. The pocket, once done according to the instructions, was too small for his taste. To compensate, I used the same size piece and adjusted the height by turning the facing under and stitching, as opposed to folding it backward and stitching. Shape alterations were made from the armhole to the hip to fit his frame (tapered to waist then back out to accommodate the hip area). Oh, and he likes collar buttons, so I added those as well. End result? He loves it, so a win in my book. 🙂 He even wore it on our cruise and patiently waited for me to take pictures. 🙂
Elle L Silks 