Sew a handkerchief hem shirt in 60 minutes

Sewing a handkerchief hem shirt: A stylish shirt with a handkerchief hem is the perfect partner for any outfit. With this pattern and the simple step-by-step instructions, even beginners can do it.

The most important things at a glance

• Handkerchief hem shirts are ideal to combine with skirts, trousers, or leggings
• The sophisticated handkerchief hem is easy to sew and will turn out perfect with my tips
• The shirt is sewn from stretchy, beautifully draping fabrics like jersey or modal
• To sew it, you need a sewing machine or an overlocker
• Sewing level: Beginner
• Sewing time: 1 hour

Why should I sew my own handkerchief hem shirt?

No one knows better than you what suits you. Unfortunately, it's not always possible to find the right shirt in the right size and fabric in stores. With little effort, you can also sew the shirt with a V-neck.

So, when you sew your own handkerchief hem shirt, you have every opportunity to play with fabrics, colors, materials, and lengths. Sew yourself a cool leopard-print shirt with short sleeves or a warm tunic out of soft French terry—whatever your heart desires.

The pattern for this beautiful handkerchief hem shirt comes in 3 lengths. This way, you can conjure up shirts, tunics, or dresses in no time at all. Perfect with jeans, leggings, or skirts. Hemming is done before sewing the pieces together, which is really quick.

What do I need to sew a handkerchief hem shirt?

All you need is a favorite fabric, an overlocker, and your sewing machine. Of course, you can also sew the entire shirt using just a sewing machine. In that case, I recommend having your twin needle within reach. You can use it to sew beautiful, stretchy hems that look really great on a handkerchief hem.

You will also need a matching handkerchief hem shirt pattern, of course.

How is the hem of the handkerchief hem shirt sewn?

In these instructions, I hem the shirt before sewing the side seams. This is quick and creates beautiful, overlapping seams at the points, resulting in a great effect. If you prefer to sew the hem the traditional way after closing the side seams, that is also possible.

Which fabrics are suitable for the handkerchief hem shirt?

Fine, stretchy fabrics that drape well are very suitable, such as:

• Cotton jersey fabrics^*
• Viscose jersey^*
• Romanit jersey^*

If you use sturdier fabrics, the flared shape will be more pronounced; with softer fabrics, the drape of the shirt is more elegant.

In any case, it is important to wash and iron the fabrics before sewing. This prevents them from shrinking so the shirt still fits perfectly after the first wash. :)

If you don't have much experience yet with sewing stretchy fabrics, you can learn more here on the blog. For example, check out my post: Help, my jersey is waving while sewing! ;)

You will also need these accessories

• Sewing thread^*
• Tailor's chalk^*
• Ruler^*
• Sewing machine and/or overlocker
• Rotary cutter
• Fabric scissors^*

How do I print and tape the handkerchief hem shirt pattern?

Print the pattern on A4 paper at 100% scale without page scaling. Print setting: "Print document and all markings". Check that the test square is 3 x 3 cm.

Tape the pattern together according to the layout plan. Even the A0 pattern must be taped together so that the cutting lines meet.

Seam allowances and hem allowances are marked on the pattern. Sewing is done with a sewing machine and an overlocker.

How can I adjust the handkerchief hem shirt pattern?

The pattern also contains lines where you can adjust the cut according to your body shape and size. Should you, for example, wear different sizes at the bust and hips, you can mark the cutting lines of the respective size and connect them smoothly with a tailor's ruler in between. I recommend sewing a test model out of cheap fabric first to check if changes are necessary.

Can I also sew the neckline of the shirt with a different cuff?

Of course! The pattern includes a pre-made cuff pattern piece, which saves you the tedious calculation of the correct length. You can also use it if you want to cut the cuff a little wider; the markings remain in the same place.

Feel free to read my post on the topic of sewing on cuffs; there you will find more methods for beautifully finishing necklines. Maybe you'll find your new favorite version!

What do I need to keep in mind when sewing the handkerchief hem shirt?

Sewing the handkerchief hem shirt is truly child's play because it is hemmed before closing the side seams. So you are primarily dealing with straight seams. It is important, however, that you transfer the markings from the pattern onto the fabric. Then you can be sure that everything fits and sits right.

Which sewing thread can I use to sew the handkerchief hem shirt?

You can use a standard all-purpose thread; it works perfectly. If you are sewing with an overlocker and/or coverstitch machine, high-quality overlock thread is a must. Read my blog post on this: Overlock thread - everything you need to know.

If you want to sew or topstitch the neckline with a straight stitch, I recommend an elastic sewing thread. It is now available in many colors. I have had the best experiences with Seraflex by Mettler^*. You can also use the elastic thread as a bobbin thread without any problems. If your machine doesn't like that very much, use Seraflex as the top thread and, for example, Seralon^*, also by Mettler, as the bottom thread. Then you can easily match the colors. Seralon is Mettler's universal sewing thread.

What does such a handkerchief hem shirt pattern actually look like?

The points (handkerchiefs) are cut directly into the piece and not attached separately. This causes the shirt to have a particularly beautiful drape, and it does without extra seams that could influence your comfort.

This is what the pattern looks like:

Of course, the sizes, as with almost all SewSimple patterns, are divided into size segments again. This means that you only ever find a few sizes on one pattern sheet. That helps you keep track.

Additionally, all pattern pieces lie next to each other on the sheet, which means they do not overlap. You can therefore cut out the pattern in your size without anything missing or needing to be replaced on a pattern piece.

Here for comparison is the pattern sheet in the largest size group. You can see that the pattern pieces are also arranged clearly next to each other here. :)

Which size is the right one?

You can calculate the size based on the body measurement table. Use the most recent measurements possible. Measure by placing the tape measure tautly and horizontally across the fullest part of the respective body area. Are you "Team Finished Measurement"? Then measure one of your well-fitting shirts that has a similar cut to the handkerchief hem shirt. Based on the measured values, you can also determine the required size. A combination of both tables is always great, too. :)

Length at HM medium 75.4 75.6 75.8 76.0 76.2 76.4 76.6 76.8 77.0 77.2 77.4 77.6 77.8 78.0 78.2 78.4 78.6 78.8 79.0 Length at HM long 85.4 85.6 85.8 86.0 86.2 86.4 86.6 86.8 87.0 87.2 87.4 87.6 87.8 88.0 88.2 88.4 88.6 88.8 89.0 Shoulder width 8.1 8.4 8.7 9.0 9.3 9.6 9.9 10.2 10.5 10.8 11.0 11.2 11.4 11.6 11.8 12.0 12.2 12.4 12.6 Sleeve length short 15.4 16.2 17.0 17.8 18.5 19.2 19.9 20.7 21.5 22.2 23.1 23.9 24.7 25.5 26.3 27.1 27.9 28.7 29.5 Sleeve length medium 37.0 37.5 38.0 38.5 39.0 39.5 40.0 40.5 41.0 41.5 42.0 42.5 43.0 43.5 44.0 44.5 45.0 45.5 46.0 Sleeve length long 59.5 60.0 60.5 61.0 61.5 62.0 62.5 63.0 63.5 64.0 64.5 65.0 65.5 66.0 66.5 67.0 67.5 68.0 68.5 ½ Upper arm width 14.9 15.6 16.3 16.9 17.6 18.3 19.1 20.2 21.4 22.7 23.7 24.7 25.7 26.7 27.8 28.9 30.2 31.3 32.4 ½ Sleeve hem width short 14.6 15.2 15.8 16.4 17.0 17.6 18.3 19.3 20.4 21.5 22.5 23.3 24.2 25.0 25.9 26.9 28.0 28.9 29.9 ½ Sleeve hem width medium 11.6 12.0 12.5 13.0 13.4 13.9 14.4 15.1 15.8 16.5 17.4 18.0 18.6 19.3 19.9 20.6 21.4 22.1 23.0 ½ Sleeve hem width long 9.2 9.5 9.8 10.0 10.2 10.5 10.8 11.0 11.2 11.5 11.8 12.0 12.2 12.5 12.8 13.0 13.2 13.6 14.1

Fabric requirements for Yule pointed hem shirt (fabric width on the fold; all measurements in m)
Size	32	34	36	38	40	42	44	46	48	50	52	54	56	58	60	62	64	66	68
short	1.61	1.61	1.61	1.61	1.66	1.66	1.66	1.66	1.71	1.86	2.01	2.06	2.11	2.16	2.21	2.26	2.36	2.36	2.36
medium	1.83	1.83	1.83	1.83	1.88	1.88	1.88	1.88	1.93	2.08	2.23	2.28	2.33	2.38	2.43	2.48	2.58	2.58	2.58
long	2.05	2.05	2.05	2.05	2.10	2.10	2.10	2.10	2.15	2.30	2.45	2.50	2.55	2.60	2.65	2.70	2.80	2.80	2.80

Photo tutorial: Sewing a pointed hem shirt in 1 hour

YouTube video: Sewing a pointed hem shirt

Conclusion

A pointed hem shirt is perhaps the simplest shirt project for beginners imaginable. Why? Because the hem on this shirt is not sewn "in the round," but piece by piece. So, you only have to manage straight seams. That’s fun and goes lightning fast.

For my part, I could hardly stop sewing these pointed hem shirts. And I just love wearing these cute pointed pieces because they go with everything. And, by the way, they’re really figure-flattering, I think. ;)

And when are you sewing your next pointed hem shirt?

Happy simple sewing

yours, Sabine

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