Pattern Review – McCalls 6044 Men’s Shirt

Here’s the back story. We have another set of videos in post-production, and in one of them, I show an example of a shirt that “I’m making for my husband.” The other night, DH saw the video edit and turned to me with a big smile on his face and a look that said, “You are? Cool!” Hmmmm… So I figured I should probably pull that shirt off the samples pile and finish it up for him. The nice thing is that it was all done except for attaching the cuffs and buttons, and hemming it. So tonight he has a new shirt!

Pattern Description: From McCalls’ website – MEN’S SHIRTS: Shirts A, B, C, D, E with collar and collar band, front band, pockets and sleeve variations; shirt A has short sleeves; shirts B, C, D, E have long sleeves with cuffs; shirt B has contrast inside collar band and cuffs.

Sizing: S-XXXL. I made a Medium. It’s worth noting here that, since this was originally intended for the video, I didn’t do any fitting on him. This is drafted for an athletic build. It’s rather closely fitted shirt through the waist, and it’s looser up at the shoulders.

Fabric Used: Soft Cotton Stripe – White/Almost Black from Gorgeous Fabrics (of course!). Alas, it’s sold out, sorry.

Needle/Notions Used: Universal 70/10. Pro-Sheer Elegance interfacing, and buttons from the Designer Buttons by the Scoop from Fashion Sewing Supply. Gutterman thread.

Tips Used during Construction: Press that Bad Mamma Jamma!

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes.

How were the instructions? I hate to say it, but I lost them right after I started construction. What I saw looked good. I did read as far as the sleeve placket, which was quite straightforward. After that, I just wung that mother and it went together beautifully.

Construction Notes: I almost never make shirts for DH these days, so I don’t know if this is an unusual feature, or if it’s just new to me. But this pattern has two-piece sleeves. All the shirts I’ve made for him before (okay, admittedly they’ve mostly been flannel shirts or Hawai’ian style shirts) have had one-piece sleeves, so that was pretty cool. I also played with the grain on the collar and the CF button bands. I’ve seen a number of shirts with that feature and I like the contrast. Here are a couple of pictures:

I added a CB Seam and cut the collar on the bias

I cut the CF bands on the bias, but I cut the interfacing on the straight grain for stability.

Likes/Dislikes: This pattern is very well drafted. It went together beautifully, and it sews up quickly.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? Yes and yes. Next time I’ll actually take the time and fit it to him, rather than giving him a straight-from-the-envelope version. But he likes it!

He likes it. Hey Mikey!

And the back.

Conclusion: A good basic pattern with great bones. I can envision it in all sorts of fabrications.

Happy sewing!