Tag Archives: sewing for men

Mother and Son Sweatshirts

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Just a quick post, without the usual details and close-ups, to share a basic make. Several months ago I made this sweatshirt and it has become one of my favorite comfy grab-n-go basics.

At this point, my sweatshirt has been through the washer and dryer several times.

At this point, my sweatshirt has been through the washer and dryer several times.

It is McCall’s 6992. I purchased it on sale at JoAnn’s for $1.40. I made view B, and cut a size 14 with no alterations except taking off 1 1/2″ from the sleeve length.

My son was around while I was making this sweatshirt, and he told me that is was cool! How often does a 22 year-old young man comment on and like a garment his mother has made? Very rarely! “Would you like me to make you one?” I actually can’t remember his answer, but I ordered some fabric anyway thinking I would make him one for Christmas. Of course, I never got around to making it. Four months later, his birthday was two days away, I had no gift and a free Friday afternoon. So I whippped up a sweatshirt from New Look 6321.

Modeling his birthday gift at grandma and grandpa's.

Modeling his birthday gift at grandma and grandpa’s.

This is a unisex pattern. My son is quite slender, so I cut a Medium. I made View B and added ribbing to the sleeves and bottom. The only alteration I made was a gradual narrowing the sleeve to subtract 2″ off the bottom circumference before adding the cuff.

The fabric for both shirts is 100% organic cotton which I purchased online at Fabric.com. I am not actually a big fan of this site. Their shipping is always slow. But I like this sweatshirt fleece. It is super soft and reasonably priced for an organic knit at $10.98 per yard. However, I wish the color selection was larger. I would order more!

It would be nice to have a picture of us together wearing our sweatshirts, but the post would be delayed several weeks waiting for the opportunity for that to happen! Upon his most recent visit home, I ask my son if he had worn his sweatshirt. He said yes, he wore it to the movies with friends. “Well, did you get a compliment?” I asked. “Yes. They thought is was cool.” “Did you tell them that your mom made it?” “Yes, and I told them you had a blog and were pretty big in the middle-aged sewing community.” Well, not all true…but thanks…I guess.

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The Michael Shirt

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My wonderful husband, Michael, is always supportive of my endeavors. He never hesitates to drop what he’s doing on a Saturday afternoon to take photos of me for my latest blog post. I thought it fitting to invite him to be a guest model for Fresh Make #12. I made Michael a stylish, modern fitting shirt. Perfect for summer. DSC_0310 DSC_0320 DSC_0321 The pattern I chose was Vogue 8759. I bought it on sale at JoAnn’s Fabrics for $4.99. (I can’t imagine that anyone would ever the $30.00 price tag printed on the envelope. As most of you probably know, Vogue patterns are always on “sale” for at least 40% off.)

I made the lower left view.

I made the lower left view.

Once again the fabric was purchased on one of my trips to my favorite DTLA fabric store, Michael Levine. I bought 1 5/8 yards at 60″ wide and $6 per yard.

Michael is standing next to his favorite fig tree.

Michael is standing next to his favorite fig tree.

DSC_0325DSC_0335DSC_0332 To attach the yoke facing by machine at the back, I rolled the shirt up inbetween the two yoke pieces with right sides facing together and stitched along the edge. This is not shown in the instructions. Please ask me if your actually interested in trying this technique. It’s easy. DSC_0326DSC_0329 The instructions called for French seams. I cheated and just serged the edges together while trimming them to about 3/8 and then top stitching 1/4″ from the seam.

LET’S BE HONEST:
1. This pattern is labeled EASY. Which I guess is OK as long as one doesn’t assume that EASY means “beginner.” A pattern with a collar with a band is definitely not a beginner project and requires careful, slow sewing.

2. I made size 44 for Michael and it fits perfect. It is a “slimmer” fit. There is no room for shrinkage, so even though I prewashed the fabric, we’ll be our best to keep it out of the dryer. This pattern ranges from 34 to 46. I can’t imagine who would actually fit a 34 and I think there are probably a lot of men who would be sized out of this pattern.

3. I think this is a perfect men’s shirt pattern. I didn’t make any adjustments anywhere, and I did not find any odd surprises once I started construction. As is common for me, I didn’t follow the instructions exactly as I draw upon my knowledge if I see an easier way of doing something such as the machine yoke technique I mentioned above.

I thoroughly enjoy putting the attention on someone else, being the photographer instead of being the one photographed. This week, reviving a few techniques and sewing him stylish. As always, thanks for visiting my blog. I welcome your comments and would be happy provide more details on anything I’ve shown. Just ask!