Make business shirts

You want to make business shirts. Well there are several things to consider when making shirts. You have to consider the patterns, fabrics, and notions needed to complete your shirts. Make the shirts yours by making educated choices. Consider where and when you will be wearing your shirt, what accessories you will be wearing and what other clothing you will be wearing with your new shirt.

Selecting patterns is not always easy. What you may consider attractive may not look so attractive once you have completed it because the style you’ve chosen is not one that flatters you. You have to select cut, color, collars, and style. You want the cut of the shirt to flatter what you consider your best features and detract from the features you would like to draw attention away from. Think about lapels, necklines, shoulder pads or no shoulder pads, sleeve length, cuff style, and contouring. Lapels can add color to suit coats, showcase a brooch, or draw attention away from the shoulders.

Necklines are also important in that you will want to consider what you will wear them with, what image to present and what features you want to minimize or show off. Shoulder pads can give a lift and smoother line for smaller shoulders but those with larger frames and shoulders should not choose shoulder pads. Sleeve length can be determined for comfort or purpose. Cuff styles can be pointed, French, or one-two-three button cuffs, or choose no cuffs at all. Contouring can also be used to draw attention to or away from your features. 

Looking at your fabric choices will also depend on your pattern selection. Read the back of the pattern for suggested fabrics.  You will want the colors to flatter your coloring and stripes and patterns can also be a problem. With stripes you will need to be careful. Horizontal stripes will add width to your shape, vertical lines are slimming, and diagonal stripes will add curves. Large and small prints can also have an effect on your shirts. Larger prints can cause problems for larger figures and smaller prints can minimize. Can you wear bolds, pastels or both? Colors can look great on the shelf but how do they look on you. They can make you look washed out, sallow, or stark. Make sure you get a color that flatters. Compare the fabric to the inside of your arm and you can see what a shirt in that fabric will do to your face and neck.

Options for your sewing notions are many and you can have fun with your options. Most shirts will have buttons, hook and eye, zippers or other closures. Buttons come in different shapes, colors and sizes; round, square, pegs, bone, pearl, or specialty buttons. You can even buy kits that will let you cover buttons with the same fabric as your shirt. You will also need thread, interfacing, binding tape and other notions that will be recommended on the back of your pattern. Just follow the pattern and viola you have a new shirt.

You want to make business shirts. You will need to decide the pattern, fabric, and notions when making shirts. Make these shirts yours by selecting shirts that will fit your style and personality. Consider where and when you will be wearing your shirt, what accessories you will be wearing and what other clothing you will be wearing with your new shirt.