Why (sewing) menswear?

Let’s face it: if you want to sew menswear, there aren’t a whole lot of resources out there. There are some books available that go into the details of making a shirt or a bespoke suit. But that’s about it. And modern sewing menswear patterns are even more rare these days. I wonder why….

Why I sew menswear

For me, sewing menswear started as a necessity. My husband is 1.98 m tall and ready to wear clothes just don’t fit him right. Have you ever taken a good look at the proportions of a tall man? Small waist, long legs. Ok, obvious the legs are longer. A fact that some of us envy, but my husband’s legs are at least 36″ tall. Wish my legs were that long ….

But in his case, the torso is also taller, not bigger, just like his arms: longer than normal. So everytime we went shopping for shirts, we had to buy an XL (or larger) because of the sleeves. They were never long enough and the only way to deal with that was buying really big shirts: because the body was (too) big for him, the shoulder seam would drop over his shoulder and as a miracle, the sleeves would go all the way to his wrist. I can assure you, not a very flattering style…. but a very fluttering one! This annoyed me so much, that I decided to give sewing menswear a try!

From button down shirt to casual menswear

For me, it all started with the traditional button down shirt as that is part of the “classic office” outfit. What did I learn from this sewing journey:

• I loved it! Loved all the details that go into sewing menswear like sleeve plackets, pockets, hems etc. Some say that these details make sewing menswear hard to do but I have to disagree. Yes you have to pay attention to your sewing and yes, you can’t hide your (sewing) mistakes as easily as in women- and child’s wear but if you are an accurate sewer, you can sew menswear.
• I was able to solve the sleeves problem without having to sew an XL shirt! Perfect fit achieved! Never bought a ready to wear shirt ever again.
• Modern menswear patterns are hard to get. So I learned to draft my own patterns and designed my own patterns. This resulted in a  jeans pattern (with 37″ legs instead of 36″ because I thought they were still a bit too short) that has been used over and over, some really nice vests and hoodies, and some outdoor gear. Next project: a really nice winter coat maybe?

Overall conclusion? I’m addicted to sewing menswear and I am proud of it. No need to go to Sewers Anonymus, as this is a very handy addiction if you are married to a guy and want to run your own pattern company.

So, what is your reason to start sewing menswear?

Lack of fit, patterns or something else?

Tried sewing menswear once and never want to do it again or loving it so much that you can’t stop sewing?

What did you sew recently for the man in your life?