Answer post
likeslowlikefilm asked:
about how long did it take you to make your first shirt? I have a beginners knowledge of sewing and have done a few other projects. Also where did you get your shirt pattern? Did you base it off your measurements or just take a standard one and alter it? Also may I just say I love your blog, I only just started following but may I saw although my blog may not reflect the particular aesthetic I very much appreciate your understanding of traditional menswear!
Thanks so much for your kind comments!
I didn’t keep track of time when I started. At first, shirtmaking seemed like an insurmountable task: I’d work for a while then put it away for a few weeks. So it took a long time to finish a shirt, and they weren’t very good. By last summer, I could finish a shirt in a week’s time. As I’ve gotten even better since then, I’m able to work much faster than that—mostly because I make less dumb mistakes.
I started out by taking apart an old shirt and tracing the pattern. After I became familiar with the technical skills required for shirtmaking, I drew my own pattern from a draft in the book A Guide to Casual Clothes by Roberts and Onishenko. I wouldn’t recommend starting with a custom pattern until you are confident with the sewing techniques… getting a good fit is a lot of added stress!
Anyone looking to start should definitely read Shirtmaking by David Page Coffin. It is an excellent, easy-to-understand book.