Mastering the Button Down Shirt: Advanced Techniques Made Simple SAT, MAY 2-30, 2-5pm
Join our comprehensive five-session workshop to master the art of crafting a professional button-down shirt. Throughout this hands-on course, you will learn to construct a beautifully tailored garment from start to finish. Your friends will be in awe when you tell them that you made it. The skills you'll learn will translate to many different kinds of shirt making.
. We begin by guiding you through precise measurements and pattern alterations to ensure a perfect fit before cutting your fabric. Next, you will learn key skills for building the shirt by breaking complex steps into simple, practical methods.
As the course progresses, you will work through the foundational steps to prep the front button placket and build a clean yoke that looks finished inside and out. You will learn the Jiffy Collar technique for crisp collar points without bulky seams, along with the burrito method for attaching collar stands and cuffs with perfectly hidden seam allowances. Sleeve plackets are like magic when you use the one piece construction method. They just appear and work every time. There is also a no pins method to set in sleeves (ok maybe one pin) to reduce puckers and surprise gathers. The cuff is one of the more interesting parts of the shirt construction, and we will follow a technique for constructing the cuff inside-out. You will leave this class with a beautiful shirt and the exact skills needed to construct future garments with confidence.
Required for Class (we will provide for you):
- Patterns (required for class - buy on your own)
- Men's: We will use the shirt pattern in "The Gentlemen’s Wardrobe".
- Women's: We will use the Butterick B6852 pattern, sizes 8-24
- Fabric - purchase and prewash prior to class. You'll get 15% off of your shirt fabric when you are signed up for the class and purchase at Sew Inspired Fabrics. Amount of fabric will depend on the size of your shirt - check the pattern for instructions and get help (if needed) from Robin or Ray at Sew Inspired Fabrics
- Buttons - please pre-purchase the required number and sizes of buttons.
Progression (3 hour classes)
Week 1: Pattern
Learn/review how to take measurements, and perform basic alterations on the pattern. Cut out the pattern, apply the alterations, construct the pattern for the Jiffy Collar, and the Sleeve plackets.
Week 2: Body
You will prepare the shirt body by folding, pressing, and topstitching the front button plackets to set up accurate buttonhole placement. Next, you will build a clean yoke by sandwiching the shirt back between two layers, then using the burrito method to close the yoke. This process stabilizes the neckline in preparation for the collar, and you will finish by stitching the darts to provide tailored shaping to the garment.
Week 3: Collar
You will create a crisp, topstitched collar with sharp points and minimal bulk by constructing it from a single piece of fabric using the Jiffy Collar technique. Next, you will assemble and attach a professional collar stand using an efficient rolling technique. By rolling the shirt body inside the stand before stitching, the inner seam becomes completely enclosed and hidden. The process concludes with neat edge stitching, resulting in a clean, high-quality finish without any thick or bulky seams.
Week 4: Sleeves
You will create a sleeve placket from a single piece of fabric by folding, pressing, and stitching it to the sleeve before slitting and edge stitching for a clean finish. Next, you will set in the sleeves using a technique that relies on aligning with your fingers and stitching in short sections rather than easing and pinning the entire armscye. This approach provides better control as you sew, helping to reduce puckers and surprise gathers for a perfectly smooth seam. Finally, we will discuss the best techniques for finishing the inside armscye seam to complete this section.
Week 5: Cuffs and Hem
You will construct professional cuffs with tidy corners and enclosed seam allowances using the burrito method. This clever technique involves attaching one side of the cuff, rolling the sleeve up out of the way, and turning the cuff inside out for a polished topstitched finish. Finally, you will complete the shirt by neatly hemming the bottom edge.
Congratulations! You now have a made a beautiful, professionally constructed shirt.
Taught by John Brady, Specializing in Custom Tailored Clothing
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| Requirements: | Purchase Patterns on your own Purchase and prepare fabric (pre-wash, iron) prior to first class |
| Instructor: | John Brady |
| Instructor Bio: | John Brady is an experienced sewist who demonstrates a strong commitment to garment construction in his workshops. He specializes in creating custom tailored dress shirts, pants, jeans, and sport coats. His technical expertise includes both advanced sewing and advanced tailoring techniques. He also enjoys researching sewing methods from the 50s, 60s, and 70s to uncover clever techniques that worked for home sewists of those times, allowing him to break down complex construction steps into highly manageable methods. In his personal studio, he frequently pairs these techniques with modern efficiency by utilizing pattern projector sewing. Beyond the studio, John is an accomplished technology leader with a robust professional background in financial services technology. He has extensive experience in banking and payments technology, and has been a pioneer in several modern payment networks. |
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