Sewing a shirt for beginners

Sew a shirt: With this pattern, even beginners can make a great shirt with a rounded or straight hem! :)

The most important points at a glance

• In this post, I will show you how you can sew a shirt. These sewing instructions are based on a pattern of mine, which you can find below.
• The fit is loose and casual – yet flatteringly follows the lines of your body.
• A seam allowance of 1 centimeter is included in the pattern
• The pattern includes markings for the long-sleeve, short-sleeve, and 3/4-sleeve versions; the specified fabric consumption refers to the 3/4-sleeve version
• You can sew the shirt from stretchy or non-stretchy fabrics
• Santje can be sewn with a facing, but the shirt is just as great if you sew it with a straight hem. Both versions are included in the pattern

Sewing a shirt yourself - child's play!

For elastic fabrics, I sew Santje one size smaller: Here you see it in size 40 made from mole-soft black velour fabric^*.

Why did I actually have such reservations about sewing something for myself out of velour fabric? It was super easy - I think I'll do that more often now! :)

What is special about the Santje shirt?

Whether from denim^*, corduroy^*, cotton fabric^*, or jersey^* – the Santje shirt will become a favorite piece all year round, want to bet?

The shirt has a simple yet incredibly well-fitting cut. In this way, it charmingly hides small bulges. The rounded hem skillfully emphasizes your curves and makes you look incredibly feminine.

Speaking of curves: The shirt has bust darts that ensure a great figure. This way, Santje hangs loose and casual – while still flatteringly following the lines of your body.

Gray is dull? No way! Shirt Santje in size 42 made of soft gray corduroy jersey^* and with a straight hem. I love fine corduroy because it is so wonderful to sew with, feels great to wear, and looks truly elegant.

Do you like things straightforward? In addition to the rounded hem, which is finished with a facing, the pattern also contains a straight hem that you can simply turn up. In this version, the shirt is sewn in no time at all – and ready to make you look phenomenally good at work, shopping, or on vacation.

By the way: Combined with the Cardigan Catrien or Long Jacket Calista, you can create a stunning twin set in a layered look with the shirt.

Simply WOW! :)

Agnes is wearing the Santje shirt in size 36. You can see the rounded hem nicely here. In the bottom picture, you can see the transition between the front and back pieces. I LOVE it!

I sewed Agnes' shirt from a wonderfully colorful striped cotton jersey^*, which already put me in a total summer mood while sewing.

Because of the darts at the chest, the stripes shift a little. But does that bother me? Not a bit! :)

Which fabrics can you use to sew the shirt?

You can sew the shirt from almost any elastic fabric. Ideal fabrics are sweatshirt fabric^*, French Terry^*, jersey^*, viscose jersey^*, knitted fabrics^*, slub jersey^*, velour^*, stretch velvet^*, modal fabric^* and much more.

When it arrived, I was really skeptical - thinking: aren't I actually too old for such fabrics?

But hey: I find the shirt made from the bright, colorful, cheerful cotton jersey with bananas just dreamy! And the "ohs" and "ahs" when I enter a room are a wonderful side effect. ;)

Woven fabrics that are particularly suitable include: cotton fabrics^*, linen^*, corduroy^*, denim fabrics^*, viscose fabrics^* – but fine blouse fabrics^* are also perfect.

Important: If you sew the shirt out of woven fabric using a sewing machine, you should additionally finish the fabric edges with a zigzag stitch so they do not fray.

How much fabric is needed for each size?

You need between 150 and 190 cm of fabric (with a fabric width of 148 cm).
You can find the exact details in the consumption table in the eBook.

Do you have to sew the shirt with a facing?

No, you don't have to. While it looks genius, the shirt is just as great if you sew it with a straight hem.

Sew a shirt yourself: Which size is the right one?

If you are sewing with elastic fabrics, you should choose one size smaller, depending on how figure-hugging you want to wear them.

If you are sewing Santje from fabrics that are not stretchy, you should sew your usual clothing size. It is important that you choose the right size based on your body measurements.

Feel free to take a look at our finished measurements table for Santje. You can compare the measurements with those of your favorite shirt. That way, you'll always be on the safe side.

Batics for me! Actually not really my thing - but I couldn't resist this beautiful batik fabric^* in denim blue. It was worth it. The fabric is beautifully fine and still easy to work with. This was particularly evident when sewing the facings. Some fabrics can be a bit fussy, but the batik denim fabric gave me no trouble at all. :)

Which sleeves are available to choose from?

The pattern includes markings for the long-sleeve, short-sleeve, and 3/4-sleeve versions.
The fabric consumption refers to the long-sleeve version.

I love blue jersey with maritime motifs^*; you already know this one from my tutorial on sewing facings.

How is the pattern glued together?

Print the pattern at 100% page size without scaling on A4 paper in portrait format. The edge length of the control square is 3 cm.
Cut the corners of the margins off diagonally; this makes it very easy for you to assemble the pattern!
My tip: Glue all pages of the pattern together first and only then cut out the individual pieces.

Important!
Read through the instructions once before you start.
A seam allowance of 1 centimeter is included in the pattern.

Download the pattern quickly and get started

For questions and suggestions, you can email me at any time: hilfe@sewsimple.de

I wish you lots of fun sewing & much joy with your shirt!

Happy simple sewing,
your Sabine

P.S.: While looking through the pictures, I noticed that I didn't photograph a single short-sleeved shirt. :)

The most frequently asked questions