Alter & Sew a Custom Dress Shirt

Button-down shirts can be found in nearly every closet. Whether you like a fun print on casual fabric or something more formal with cufflinks and a crisp collar, you can make something unique to fit your style after taking this class.

Ashley Hough will show you what supplies are needed, from your sewing machine to markings pens and everything in between. She will also explain how to measure for and select the right pattern size and how to transition sections between sizes if all your measurements don’t fit into one category on a commercial pattern. You will learn the correct way to positions the pattern pieces on your fabric and Ashley will explain what all the markings on the pieces mean. There are many different variations for creating a unique look to your pockets, and Ashley will show you how to make them, along with how and where to attach them to your shirt.

Ashley will explain what a yoke is, where it goes, ways to embellish it and how to alter the pattern to leave it out if it’s not something you like. She will take you step-by-step through how to sew a placket onto a sleeve for a very professional look, and then show different cuff variations to add to the sleeve and how to achieve them.

You’ll also learn how to create a nice crisp collar and how to attach that to your shirt.

Finally, you’ll learn how to bring it all together with the assembly of the shirt and learn how to finish your seams as you go so the inside looks just as good as the outside.