Sewing Shirt #1

2025 Sewing my first 'proper' shirt

Time has come, so it seems, to fashion a shirt for my back. For over 50 years I have repaired my garments but only made a few.

Chronology:
1: Cut material for back and yoke | 2: Make the yoke then sew yoke to back ~ Page 1
3: Cut cloth for front panels and sew to yoke. Page 1 | 4: Sew panels for buttons. Page 2
5: Cut cloth for collar, make and attach. | 6: Cut material for cuffs and make.
7: Cut cloth for sleeves. | 8: Attach sleeve to shoulder, try fit Page 2 .
9: Sew inner side of sleeve. Add to width | 10: Sew back and front edges adjacent sleeve.


April 13th Just about finished assembly, a few stitches on a cuff, the tail to be hemmed and button holes to be added. Oh! I may draw in the edges I had widened. See Page 7 for these last jobs.

yoke attached to back
April 18th Most front button holes to finish

I have no fitting patterns and so am sketching from old rags that did fit, and using some orange organic cotton I bought from Cwmbran at some £6.95 a metre. I have other cloth bought years before but will try to make an orange shirt for the summer.
Update: Buying up remainder organic cotton from Cwmbran


1st Jan: Managed to sew the yoke to the back. I could have done it easier and a little tidier, but not bad for my first foray. The issue was deciding to make a yoke, why I'm don't really know but that was like the old shirt. It seems a double fabric to add durability around the back of the shoulder etc. where I could have just added a layer. But now I have, if it fits, a template for the whole back for a second shirt.

yoke attached to back
One piece of yoke attached
yoke attached to back
Aligning second part of yoke.
2nd Jan
yoke attached to back
Yoke attached. Outside
yoke attached to back
Yoke attached. Inside with covered seem.
front attached
Back and front stitched and hanging around

Page 1: | Page 2: Sleeves | Page 3: Collar | Page 4: Cuffs
Page 5: Stitching | Page 6: Shirt Design | Page 7:Button holes | Page 8:Notes

Pages: 1· · 3· 4· 5· 6· 7· 8