tip of the day – short cuts for sewing shirts
June 26, 2008 by Chloe Findlay-Harder
Filed under Home & Living
I will freely admit to being an impatient seamstress – I won’t cut corners if it’s going to negatively affect the finished piece… However – tips & tricks that save a little time – are just fine with me 
I’ve sewn quite a few men’s shirts over the years, and generally the patterns call for a separate piece of facing for the front of the shirt. I’ve always cut the pieces out, interfaced them and then stitched them together.
But is it really necessary to have that extra seam in the front of the shirt?
I came across a ladies blouse pattern that had the front of the blouse and the facing as one pattern piece – which caused a light bulb to go on over my head.
If they could have the front and the facing as one piece in a ladies blouse, why not on a mens shirt too?
Since then I always combine the two pattern pieces. I lay my fabric out, place the pattern pieces on top like this:
I’ve layered the front & the facing pattern pieces, overlapping the width of the given seam allowance. If you don’t subtract the seam allowance like this, the shirt will be slightly larger in front.
Cut out the fabric like you normally would and interface it according to instructions:
You’ve now saved yourself an extra seam!
images: C Findlay-Harder
Great tip, now I just need to learn how to sew.
I love tips like this! Thank you Chloe.
I find that commercial sewing patterns are often very wasteful and inefficient.
This is something that I’ve done for a long time, too.
I also will place a center back seam on the fold if there isn’t any dramatic shaping. Why not take a few shortcuts?