Made by a Fabricistia: Stratchcona Henley from Thread Theory Designs
Confession: I’m a
bit of a selfish seamstress. I
occasionally dabble in minor alterations for others but a majority of my sewing
is women’s wear with me in mind. Head
down, stereo up and the faint hum of my sewing machine helps to drown out the
sounds of my husband standing in the doorway in his holey t-shirt asking when
he’s going to see some action on that quilt he’s been wanting for years. So when Julie asked me to take part in the
“In the Studio” series I was happy to oblige as I was excited to see Fabric
Mart stocked patterns by Thread Theory Designs, a menswear pattern
company.
My husband is
pretty particular about his clothes so I knew I needed to keep it simple. I didn't want to spend a lot of time invested
in something that might not work for him.
The Stratchcona Henley is a modern t-shirt pattern with a crew neck or
Henley style button placket options. I
stuck to the crew neck t-shirt style for my first try at the pattern. The sizing ranges from XS-XL and note the
style is slim fitting. Eeeek! Slim fit
is not hubby’s style at all. When
tracing out the XL I added about an inch to the side seams to hopefully
accommodate for this. I also shortened
the sleeve length and hem length 3 inches.
One thing I found
odd when cutting out the pattern was with the neckband. The pattern and cutting layout has you
cutting the neckband along the lengthwise grain for all knits and on the
crosswise grain for a 4 way stretch knit.
My fabric, a medium weight interlock from Joann Fabric, had a two way
stretch with the most stretch being on the crosswise grain. There was little stretch to the lengthwise
grain but I cut per instructions just to see if I could get it to work. Like I thought without the right amount of
stretch it was near impossible for me to fit to the neckline. I went back and re-cut on the crosswise
grain. I’m not sure why the two
different directional cutting layouts are there but this is something you’ll
want to consider when making your own. I
always cut my neckband in same direction as the stretch of the fabric.
Construction was
a breeze when completed on my serger.
When joining the shoulder seams the pattern gives 3 different options to
stabilize the seam so it’s not stretched when worn. I chose to stabilize mine with clear elastic
since I’ve acquired quite a bit of it in my stash from making swimwear. Other noted options are twill tape, cutting
1/4 selvages from self fabric or cotton scraps and using fusible interfacing. To apply the elastic I first marked my seam
allowance with chalk then pinned the elastic slightly overlapping the seam
line. When serging I made sure my needle
went through my elastic and also made sure my blade was not cutting through end
of the elastic.
My sleeves and
hems are finished by first serging the ends then folding under 5/8 inch and
top-stitching with a twin needle. This
gives it that coverstitch finish.
Unfortunately this shirt didn't work for my husband. Bummer right!? I think the problem is a mixture of the slim
fitted style and fabric choice. The
interlock knit was a little too clingy and soft for his liking. I think with a few fitting modifications and
a light weight jersey this could be the perfect shirt for my husband. In the meantime my dad modeled the shirt for
me.
I always feel bad when a project doesn't work out in my
favor. But sometimes sewing is no fun
without a challenge. The challenge comes
in making it better than before and learning from your mistakes. I’m determined more than ever now to make my
husband a t-shirt he loves.
Have you sewn for the man in your life? What's your favorite menswear pattern?
~Shannon from Shanni Loves
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Posted on August 10 2014
I've never made a T-shirt for a man; it seems like a lot of trouble for very little. However, I HAVE made many "Hawaiian style" shirts from novelty fabric of things they love. My grandkids wear them as is. My son likes his shirts fitted, so I put darts in the back and slim the sides. I don't make many regular shirts with a neck stand, because I can't figure out how to make those to look professional. Ideas?