Sewing a shirt?

Question

I know how to sew, and right now I sew hand bags and that sort of thing. I would really like to move into clothing like shirts but I don't know how to go about it. If someone knows first hand how to sew a shirt (like a t shirt) or knows of a good site with patterns for it that'd be stellar!

Answer 1

If you are already sewing, then you are already on your way! Start with working on something you'd like to wear. Don't be afraid to make mistakes - we all have a learning curve. Just call them "test muslins", like the pros do.

There are a couple of places I'd suggest that you look for patterns.

Fitz patterns look really cute, and there are a few freebies there. They say you can download them. There is a whole page of different shirts - certainly one might fit your liking.

Kwiksew patterns are well written, very fast to put together, and the pattern is on heavy paper so you can use it forever. I'd suggest that you trace them so the pattern can be reused, but I'm mostly using kid's patterns from kwiksew and need the bigger sizes. These patterns won't be as cheap as the ones found at walmart (you can get these at Hancock Fabrics for 20% off), but they are better written, and I've never had a fit problem.

Burda has a 1-2-3 line that is cute and are nice to start with - easy things like miniskirts and loose pants. They are very easy while being very trendy - good combo. You can find these at Hancock's too, maybe Joann's - it's been a bit since I've looked there.