A Button Up Shirt With Simplicity 1538

I decided that sewing a button up shirt with Simplicity 1538 would be my next project. And I also decided to use a piece of plaid fabric that I’ve had for several years.

I had purchased the fabric from Fabric dot com (no longer in business). It’s a very soft but weighty flannel.

The Pattern

Because I wanted something that would fit me well, I chose Simplicity 1538. This is a pattern I’ve used before. It’s a fairly straightforward shirt pattern. I did want to use this pattern rather than McCall’s 6613 that I have used recently.

I like the fit of this particular pattern because it is not a blousy. Because this pattern is designed for women, there are darts on the front which, of course, give it better shaping.

Simplicity 1538

Plaid Matching Gone Awry

So, I did attempt to match the plaid on the front in particular. When laying out the fabric and pattern, I started with the back. Since this is the largest single piece, I thought it would be easiest to start here. I had already traced the back patten piece so that I had two pieces that could be put on the fabric (fabric right side up). Then I moved on the the back yoke. I think I my main issue is that I intended to cut out the front placket on the bias. I completely forgot to do this, and therefore, it is as it is. Oh well. It will most certainly be worn by me.

Contrast

The contrasting fabric is something that I had leftover. I purchased this from Spoonflower. I have used this for holiday placemats. Luckily, that fabric has the same colors as the main fabric, so it works well together.

The Result

Sewing a button up shirt with Simplicity 1538 or another pattern is a fairly easy process. It’s easier, of course, if you aren’t using plaid or a pattern that you want to match up.

As far as the buttons are concerned, I used some flat silver buttons that I had in my button stash. They go very well with the gray of the shirt.

When applying buttons, I start with the button at the bust, that way I can more easily avoid gapping there. Then I measure the distance for the others so that they are spaced evenly (for the most part).

If you’d like to see my YouTube video about this process, you can watch this:

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Wardrobe Staple Tops Edition

While I like to sew whatever I feel like sewing, I also try to work on those that things that I’m really most in need of. I usually realize that I need something at the time when I want to wear it. So, knowing that I am seriously lacking in shirts that aren’t made of knit material, I decided to spend some time making myself some this month. For this particular shirt, I used McCall’s 6613 which can be used for men or women.

M6613

This is a cotton (blend) gingham check I bought from Hobby Lobby. The only problem is it’s very thin. Since I really am more comfortable covered and don’t want my clothes to be see-through, I lined the front and back pieces in white. For the lining I used a white sheet I had previously purchased at the thrift store. *Tip: using queen or king size sheets from the thrift store can make great muslins and save you a lot of money. I think lining the body of the shirt in white actually makes the pink and white check stand out more than if I hadn’t done this.

M6613_Back

The only other changes I made to the construction of the shirt was just to shorten the length. This is the third time I’ve used this pattern (see others here ) so I knew I wanted to do that. And normally this time of year I wouldn’t even consider making a long-sleeve shirt, but the weather’s been so strange, I figure that I ‘ll still be able to get some wear out of it this spring before it gets really hot!

Here’s a video that shows the inside that I had posted on Instagram. The sound may not be great, but you’ll get to see the inside of the shirt….

IG_VideoShirtLining

I have a few more shirts/tops that I want to make in this round of sewing. I’ll keep you posted on how things go.

That’s all for now…

Black and Red Checks – Simplicity 1538

It’s been quite a few years since the last time I made anything using a plaid fabric (I have several pieces). I bought this material for something else, but decided to use it for a shirt instead. As it turns out, I’m very happy with the results.

S1538

I don’t know if it’s easier to match the plaid when it’s small. I think it just may not be quite as noticeable if things are a bit off. Either way, I used the same process as I would for any other. I traced the main pieces so I could lay them out on a single layer of fabric. Then I used the notches to help me see if things were at least close to matching. All in all it worked out well I think.

Simplicity 1538

This Simplicity pattern 1538 is a basic shirt pattern with a nice fit. It calls for contrasting facings which add a nice touch when you use contrasting fabric.

Now, I’ll use that same process and pattern to make up some of the flannel large check fabric I have. I hope my results turn out as good as this did!