Practice English Speaking&Listening with: DIY tailored dress shirt for men sewing tutorial. How to make a shirt from scratch.

welcome to a new project on my channel

classy and never out of style today's video is all about the tailored shirt

make it plain and classy

choose a fresh color

add some details like zipper pockets

cut trousers from the same fabric for a jumpsuit look

or roll up your sleeves

there is so much room for creativity

this tutorial includes detailed information on how to match up checkered fabric

how to get a clean finish on the inside

and how to get a tailored shirt without using waist darts

for a smooth look on the backside

finding a good fit was a challenge

so I developed a new construction

I combined the fit of a suit jacket on a classic dress shirt

the result is a flattering fit with the possibility to tailor your shirt

directly to your body

still keeping the ability to move and to feel comfortable

the pattern with all information is linked in the description

wanna give it a try? then stay tuned!

for this project you will need

a sewing machine with a straight and a zigzag stitch

an automatic buttonhole function would be helpful

light machine needles

paper and fabric scissors

a steam iron

pins and clips

pen and chalk

scotch tape

tweezers

fifteen shirt buttons

fusible interfacing band

measuring tape

color matching thread

strong buttonhole thread

a seam ripper

a point turner

fusible interfacing

a long ruler

and light to medium weight non stretchable fabric

prewash your fabric to let it shrink and to wash out the chemicals

then let it dry and flat iron your fabric

apply fusing to collar, stand and plackets

a short introduction to fabrics

plain weaves are easy to handle

they are equal on both sides

the grain line can be used in both directions

always cut in warp direction

vichy square fabric can be handled like plain weaves

because the repeat is so small

bigger repeats should be matched up

asymmetrical checks are tricky

good quality will pay off

the right side is different from the wrong side

and also from the upside down

to handle this fabric we need to define a rule

in this case for the fabric right side and direction

the beige lines always lay left and underneath the blue lines

cut each pattern piece separately and remember to apply this rule for each piece

all pattern pieces have notches and match up lines

snip all notches by a maximum of 5 mm

to get a right and a left piece the easiest way is to cut one side

then turn the fabric to the wrong side and cut the other side

when laying all fabric pieces right sides next to each other

our defined rule should be fulfilled for each piece

all information is available in the instruction manual of the pattern

sometimes it's not easy to find the right thread color

computer, calculate the average color of this fabric

the average color is liver sausage 52

fascinating

simulate buttonholes

erase saturation

and simulate again

i think grey is better for this fabric

replicate that on a standard polyester cone

i can also replicate the whole shirt if you like

computer off!

now we can start sewing!

front part

we start on the front piece wrong side to apply fusing for the button placket

the glue is on the rough side and will be pressed onto the fabric without steam

fold twice according to the notches

then double fold, press and pin to keep the placket in place

if you like you can topstitch the placket but it's not necessary

we need to prevent the slanted front shoulder seam

from stretching out

for a reason that will be explained later

fusing band will be applied onto the right side of the front piece

press the rough side onto the fabric right side

be sure the band is not wider than three eights of an inch

do the same for the other side

back part

to secure the neck line from stretching out

apply a thin stripe of fusing band onto the wrong side of the back piece

we will focus on the dart version for now

place the paper pattern onto the fabric back piece

and pin needles at the end of the darts

place notch on notch and and press the fold line on both sides

draw stitching lines on plain fabric from the needles to the notches

on checkered fabric we can use the horizontal lines as a guidance

to avoid baggy dart ends do not backstitch at the end

start sewing the other dart before hitting the fabric

the darts will be pressed upwards to the shoulder

french seams provide a nice and clean finish on the inside without using a serger

pin the side part wrong side on wrong side onto the back piece

sew with a distance of a quarter inch or 6 millimeters

trim the seam allowances a little bit and turn the garment onto the right side

press the seam allowances apart

then fold over to the wrong side and press again

the seam the allowance is now on the inside

sew again with a quarter inch or six millimeters

turn the shirt on the fabric right side and press the allowance to the back piece

do the same for the other side

the front part will be attached in the same way

wrong side on wrong side

pinning

sewing

trimming the seam allowances

parting the seam allowances

folding over

pressing

and sewing again

the seam allowance will be pressed to the front piece

for closing the shoulders we will use the same method

keep a distance of a quarter inch or six millimeters

do the same for the other side

press the seam allowances to the back part

the fusing tape is not visible on the inside

this is why we applied it onto the front right side earlier

i like to use a yoke for plain fabric and darts for checkered or striped fabric

for plain fabric I will shortly illustrate the workmanship using a yoke

cut the yoke twice and place one of them right side up

pin the front parts right side on right side at the shoulders

roll the front parts in

pin the back part right side on right side onto the lower yoke line

and roll the back part in

now place the second yoke piece right side on wrong sides on top of it

pin everything

and close both shoulder seams and the lower yoke seam

with a distance of half an inch or 13 millimeters

trim the seam allowances to a quarter inch or 6mm

and turn everything inside out

you will get this as a result

the seam allowances are invisible on the inside between the two yoke layers

now attach the side panels to the back part using the French seam workmanship

collar and stand

the inner stand will be attached to the outer collar

and the under collar will be attached to the outer stand

this is indicated by notches

pierce the seam corners of the paper pattern outer collar

and place it onto the fabric piece to mark these points

pin the outer collar onto the under collar

first the outer edge then the sides

there's a little ease on the outer collar providing a nice fit later

prepare two pieces of strong thread measuring ten inches each

start sewing on the outer collar until you reach the marked dot

lift the presser foot, turn the collar and insert the thread between the layers

press the thread close to the needle and make one stitch

now place the thread into the collar and make sure it is caught by the needle

sew the top edge with the regular distance

and stop one stitch before you reach the marked position

place the thread between the layers and make one stitch again

pull to make sure the thread is caught by the needle

and place it into the collar right at the top edge

close the side and secure with a back stitch

trim the corner seam allowances

and turn the collar inside out

thanks to the threads we can pull the edges and get a well shaped corner

now remove the threads and shape the edges

pin the collar attachment seam and use a point turner to shape the top edge

press on the under collar and make sure to get a visible edge there

we will secure the collar attachment seam very close to the edge

if you like you can topstitch the collar but I prefer to keep the fabric pure

the inner stand is a little shorter than the outer stand

fold the lower seam allowance of the inner stand by 5 millimeters

but only at the beginning and the end

place the outer collar right side on right side

onto the inner stand and pin according to the notches

another safty stitch close to the edge is helpful for checkered fabric

fold the lower seam allowance of the outer stand

by a quarter inch or 6 millimeters

pin the outer stand right side on right side onto the under collar

pin the collar edge away

and fold the inner stand seam allowance around the edge of the outer corner

this way the allowances will be on the inside

do the same for the other side

start with a small stitch length for the corner

and go on with a normal stitch

use a small stitch length again for the other edge at the end

trim the seam allowances as shown

turn over and finish the edges using a point turner

create a visible edge at the inner stand

to keep the roll allowance of the collar only press the stand

fold the stand to the under collar with an edge of a quarter inch or 6 millimeters

soften the edge to get a nice collar shape

place the right side of the body and the inner stand as shown

this is how we will be attaching the collar to the body

with the help of our notches

place the centre back wrong side onto the inner stand edge right side

and match up the pattern at the centre back

I advice to pin the stand with needles instead

pin the outer stand below to the collar to avoid it from being accidently stitched

start 4 centimeters away from the front edge

you can already see that needles would have been a better choice here

stop 4 centimeters before you reach the edge

as a result of my lazy placed clips the centre back wasn't matching

so I had do it all over with pins again

remove the pins from the outer stand and let's have a look at the centre back

finally matching!

cover the seam and pin the outer stand to the body

before topstitching the collar we want to make sure

the front edges match on the same level

thanks to the space we left we can adjust that

now topstitch the outer stand to the neck line

and make sure to hit the inner stand underneath at the beginning and the end

sewing the sleeves

sleeve vents should be long enough to be able to easily flat iron the cuffs

and for the ability to roll up your sleeves if you like

the sleeve fabric right side is visible

the vent is at the back part and already cut

cuff, upper and under placket are fused

we start with the under placket and fold the top edge at the notches

fold half and half again

it might be necessary to cut the corners

now fold the placket one more time

did we cut the pleat notches?

yes

open the vent and insert the under placket

in case the pattern doesn't match cut the vent a little higher

fold over, pin, and start sewing

be sure to also hit the underside of the placket

place the upper placket right side on right side

onto the other side of the vent

open the vent

pin

and mark the end of the vent

attach the upper placket with a smaller distance of 5 millimeters

cut at the marked position to the end of the seam and fold over

right, left and top edges will be folded and pressed

with a quarter inch or 6 millimeters

fold half of the placket top edge opposing to the vent a little lower

when folding the placket over there's an edge visible now

this will hide the under part when we fold over again

press and fold to the wrong side

we need to hit the under side when sewing later

the placket pattern should exactly match with the sleeve now

secure the placket hem and pin needles slightly under

the placket opening

this is how we will topstitch the upper placket

topstitch close to the edge but be sure to also hit

the underside of the placket

lift the presser foot turn the sleeve and go on

stop at the needle position and turn the sleeve

we need to catch the under placket underneath

turning the sleeve here is easier than reverse stitching

unpin the hem and check if you sealed the underside

turn over to the wrong side and have a look at the horizontal line

the under placket should be sealed

now close the pleat

fold over vertically place notch on notch

and press

to avoid a bagginess above the cuff i like to close three inches

pin a needle and start sewing

stop at the needle position and secure with a backstitch

fold over and press the pleat to the inseam

the french seam workmanship will be applied to the sleeve inseam as well

place wrong side on wrong side and match up the notches

ideally this will also match with the checks

pin the inseam and sew with a distance of a quarter inch or six millimeters

trim the seam allowances fold over and press them apart

turn the sleeve inside out press the inseam

and sew with the usual distance

turn the sleeve to the right side again and press the seam allowance away from the sleeve vent

trim the plackets to the hem level and repeat all steps for the other sleeve

just to avoid confusion the cuff attachment

is shown for the right sleeve now

the procedure is the same

pin the sleeve wrong side on right side onto the cuff

and match up the pattern

start sewing one and a half inches away from the edge

stop sewing with the same distance before you reach the end

fold over and press the seam allowance to the cuff

now turn the cuff and press 5 millimeters

of the under edge

fold and make sure to cover the seam and press the cuff hem

then turn over inside out

shift the outer cuff a tiny bit to the inside on both sides and pin

mark the cuff edges using a ruler

and fold the inner cuff allowance over the outer cuff allowance

due to the shifting we will get a little ease

for the outer cuff

close the edges at the marked lines

trim the seam allowances and corners and turn the cuff inside out

use a point turner to shape the edges

pin the outer cuff to the sleeve matching with the pattern

thanks to the space we left we can adjust the upper and lower cuff edges to the same level

topstitch the cuff and be sure to hit the under cuff

at the beginning and the end

press and check if the cuff is sealed at the edges

the overlapping is three quarter of an inch or 19 millimeters

attaching the sleeves to the body

the pattern includes two sleeves

a symmetrical sleeve for circular inset

and an asymmetrical sleeve for flat inset

as we already closed the armhole we will focus on circular inset now

to remove the gap at the back panel seam cut the seam allowance and press it

place body and sleeve next to each other on the fabric right side

the sleeve vent is on the back side

to differentiate between front and back

we have double notches at the front pieces and also on the front sleeves

turn the sleeve inside out to the fabric wrong side

place it wrong side on wrong side into the body

and pin at the double notch

then walk your way through the armhole matching up all notches

use many needles pinning edge on edge

pin the shoulder seam to the back

the shoulder dart upwards to the shoulder

the back panel seam to the back

the sleeve inseam to the front

and the front panel seam to the front

due to the seam allowances we have a little ease at the sleeve cap

that will disappear later

close the armhole with a distance of a quarter inch or 6 millimeters

remove the pins

and pin the sleeve tight to the body without pleats or layering underneath

this will prevent us from accidentally cutting a hole into the shirt later

now carefully trim the seam allowances

remove the pins again

turn the sleeve to the outside and pull the armhole seam

place the sleeve back into the armhole to the other side and shape the seam edge

pin a few clips

sew the armhole once again

occasionally there might be a little gathering occurring

on the first seam

but that will be invisible on the outside

do the same for the other sleeve

here's a short illustration for the flat inset method

the sleeves well be set in flat with the french seam method

fold the shirt and close the side seams and the sleeve inseams in one step

also with french seams

I like to use this method for plain fabric

hem

place your shirt onto the wrong side so the inside is visible

fold and press the hem by three quarter of an inch or 19 mm

fold a little bit more on the left side to make sure the overlap hides the underlap

check that by placing the front pieces on top of each other at the centre front

matching with the pattern

open the hem again and press half of the width

fold a corner at the bottom and double fold the hem to its final shape

press the double folded hem a last time and secure with clips

I like to sew on the inside to be able to see the edge

make sure your thread tension is adjusted correctly

to get a nice look from both sides

sewing the button holes

the button hole opening length is the button diameter

plus the button height

place the left front piece onto the paper pattern

the positions are suggestions

transfer these positions onto the centre front

use an erasable pen or chalk for plain fabric

some checkered fabrics already indicate favorable positions

in this case ignore the paper pattern positions

distances from 2 ¾ to 3½ inches or 7 to 9 centimeters are fine

do a testrun on fused and folded fabric

if you have an automatic buttonhole function just drop the button in its position

use a small and narrow zig zag stitch to get neat button holes

measure the test button hole and compare the desired position with the outcome

open it with a sharp seam ripper and test if you can push the button trough

on this shirt the blue line is the centre front

both on the right and the on left front piece

the buttons will be set on the centre front

the placket button holes are vertical and centered

the collar stand button hole is parallel to the top edge

and starts 2 milimeters from the button position

it’s the same principle for the sleeve vents and cuffs

the sleeve vent button is placed in the middle between the cuff button

and the end of the vent

I used pins to mark the button holes

align the placket parallel to the presser foot

and lower the needle to check if it hits the fabric at the desired position

start with the lowest button hole on the centre front

and repeat this for all markings

the collar stand button hole can be difficult for the automatic function

in that case do it manually

place the front edges next to each other and match the pattern horizontally

mark all button positions on the centre front, sleeve vents and cuffs

I like to use a stronger thread to apply the buttons

so I have do to less stitches

thread a thin needle and plan enough length

roll the thread as shown and pull to get a big knot at the end

push the needle through the marked position from the front to the back side

and back to the front again

loop the knot and cut the excess thread

now we have a little base for the shank

use and awl or a pen in case the thread gets tangled up

hold your button and insert the needle to the front and back through the other hole

push the needle trough the fabric and pull the button in place

insert the needle and repeat the shown steps a couple of times

without pulling the thread too tight

now push the needle from the back to the front between button and fabric

wrap the thread around the shank a couple of times

and push the needle to the back side again

do a few safety stitches

the button is now secured

place them at all positions

well and that's it mission accomplished

I hope you enjoyed my tuturial let me know what you think

have fun sewing and see you next time