Not just for guys: sewing a men's shirt for women

I am constantly being asked whether the men's shirt Miles can also be sewn for women. Logically, you can! The pattern is super easy - and works perfectly as a basic shirt for girls!

The most important things at a glance

• The shirt Miles is also a great garment for women
• Miles has a straight cut, which means it is not figure-hugging
• The fabric requirement for the long-sleeved shirt is 1.60 meters in all sizes (with a fabric width of 1.45 meters); for short sleeves, you need 1.20 meters of fabric
• I prefer sewing the shirt with French terry, but you can also sew Miles out of sweatshirt fabric, jersey, viscose jersey, knit fabrics, slub jersey, Nicky velour, stretchy velour fabric, modal fabric, and many other fabrics

Sewing men's shirt Miles for women? Yes!

You know: I love striped shirts.

And I love tailoring my own striped shirts in all the colors of the rainbow.

And most of all, I love sewing them out of snuggly French terry^*.

Don't know what that is? I have an article about French terry on the blog. In it, you'll learn everything about this elastic fabric, which is also sometimes called summer sweat.

For the shirt, I used some really brilliant striped summer sweat^* from Hemmers. I simply love it because it is much easier and more relaxed to sew than jersey - especially for beginners.

You can download the sewing pattern here:

Sewing a men's shirt for women

But now back to the men's shirt.

It has a straight cut, which means it sits like a boxy shirt: it is not figure-hugging. And that is super comfortable!

I usually shorten the pattern a little so that the shirt ends at mid-hip. I think this version is well-suited for layering or as a combination with a skirt.

I finished Miles with some pretty striped ribbing^* - also from Hemmers. It comes as a ribbing fabric pack for girls^* in mix-and-match colors. That, of course, works out perfectly for my Miles projects. :)

By the way, I cut the neckline one centimeter deeper for myself!

In the photo, I am wearing Miles in L, which is size 42/44.

Experience has shown that the shirt sizes correspond to the following women's sizes:

• Size S: women's size 36
• Size M: women's size 38/40
• Size L: women's size 42/44
• Size XL: women's size 46/48
• Size XXL: women's size 50
• Size XXXL: women's size 52/54 
  

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Sewing men's shirt for women: fabric consumption

The fabric requirement for the long-sleeved shirt is 1.60 m in all sizes (with a fabric width of 1.45 m). For short sleeves, you need 1.20 m of fabric.

For comparison: Maxim is wearing the men's shirt in M here - also made of striped French terry. He also prefers the slightly shortened version.

Happy simple sewing,

your Sabine

The most frequently asked questions at a glance