How to Make a Fitted Dress Shirt

Make a fitted dress shirt using a traditional pattern.

Shirtmaking, like any other type of garment construction, usually requires a complex process of drafting and patternmaking to get the perfect fit and form. This process can take many hours, and usually some practice is needed before a usable pattern is produced. However, there are some shortcuts a beginner can take to make a simple fitted shirt while learning about the basic parts of a pattern and how they can be fitted to a body.

Things You'll Need

• Dress shirt pattern
• Muslin
• Scissors
• Marker
• Iron
• Ironing board
• Tight T-shirt
• Tape measure
• Pins
• Shirt fabric
• Thread
• Sewing machine

Instructions

Fitting the Dress Shirt Yoke

1. Take the yoke portion of the pattern in the size closest to yours, and cut it from muslin fabric. Mark the center back and seam lines, and press the seam allowances under.

2. Put on a tight-fitting T-shirt. Have a friend help you pin the muslin yoke to the back of your T-shirt. Make sure to line up the center back with the center of your neck.

3. Line up the shoulder seam lines with the shoulder seams of the T-shirt, and the armhole edge with the armhole seam of the T-shirt. If the yoke fits too tightly at the neck to properly line up with these seams, snip the neckline to let the fabric spread.

4. Smooth out any wrinkles on the yoke, making sure they disappear into the seam lines.

5. Smooth out the neckline so that it lays flat around the sides of the neck and does not dip down in the back. If necessary, snip the seam allowance at the neckline to allow the fabric to spread.

Fitting the Dress Shirt Body

1. Cut a front and a back muslin piece from your pattern, using the size closest to yours. Mark the seam lines, and press the seam allowances under.

2. Pin the back and front pieces to the T-shirt on the same side of your body, again with the help of a friend. Line up the center front and center back with the centers of your body.

3. Line up the side seam lines with the side seam of the T-shirt, and the armhole edges with the armhole seams of the T-shirt. Match the yoke seam lines on the back piece.

4. Smooth out any wrinkles on the front and back pieces, pushing the excess into the seam allowances. If necessary, clip the neckline and bottom edges to allow the fabric to spread. This will help you avoid puckering.

5. Cut the collar piece, and pin it to the top of the shirt, matching the new neckline. Clip where necessary.

Make the Fitted Dress Shirt

1. Unpin and remove the dress shirt pieces from the T-shirt. Cut the pieces along the seam line markings.

2. Lay the fitted dress shirt pieces onto a flat sheet of paper, making sure to spread any vertical slits to allow for the needed extra fabric. Trace around the edges of the pieces.

3. Add the seam allowances back into the pieces. Cut the new pattern pieces from the paper.

4. Lay the pattern pieces on top of your dress shirt fabric. Cut them from the fabric, as directed by your pattern instructions.

5. Follow the remainder of your sewing pattern instructions, assembling the altered shirt pieces as you would have done without altering the fit.

Tips & Warnings

• The body of the shirt is mainly where fit problems happen. If you also have difficulty fitting into average-sized sleeves, repeat this draping process on a sleeve and cuff.

References

• Shirtmaking: Developing Skills for Fine Sewing

Resources

• Drafting a Shirt Sloper