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Shirt & Blouse Sewing Patterns

Shirt & Blouse Sewing Patterns

The shirt is the make that teaches you the most. Collars, plackets, cuffs and buttonholes all in one garment, and every one of them visible if it goes wrong. This collection covers shirt and blouse sewing patterns, from classic button-ups and relaxed boxy shirts to softer, dressier blouses with ties, ruffles and gathered detail. There are women's and men's designs, across a range of skill levels.
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A well-made shirt is the clearest possible demonstration that something was made rather than bought. It's also the garment where the details are the point: a collar that sits properly, a placket that runs straight, cuffs that match. None of it is beyond a confident beginner, but all of it rewards taking your time, and it's the reason shirt-making has a slightly forbidding reputation it doesn't entirely deserve.

Maison Fauve leads this collection, with Vikisews, Tessuti, Wardrobe By Me, Puff & Pencil, Friday Pattern Company and Merchant & Mills alongside. Between them, the range splits fairly neatly into two: proper button-up shirts, including workwear-inspired and oversized cuts, and blouses, which are softer, often collarless, and rely on drape and detail rather than structure. If you want the collar and the placket, look at the shirts. If you want something that falls and moves, the blouses are where to start.

Shirt or blouse?

The line between the two is blurry, but it's a useful one when you're choosing. Shirts have a collar and stand, a front placket and buttons, and usually a yoke and cuffs. They suit crisper cloth, hold their shape, and involve more construction steps. Blouses are looser in definition: often no collar, sometimes pull-on, frequently gathered or tied, and cut for fabrics that drape. They're generally quicker to make and more forgiving of fitting, which makes them the friendlier starting point.

Getting the details right

Interfacing is not optional on a shirt. Collars, stands, plackets and cuffs all need it, and using the right weight is what stops a collar going limp after two washes. Choose one lighter than your shirting, and if you're using a woven cloth, a woven interfacing will move with it rather than fighting it. Mark your buttonhole positions from the pattern rather than eyeing them up, sew a test buttonhole on a scrap of the actual fabric with the interfacing fused in, and press every seam as you finish it. Shirts are made in the pressing as much as the stitching.

What to make them in

Classic shirts want cloth with some crispness: cotton poplin, chambray, oxford, brushed cotton for winter shirts, and linen for looser summer cuts. Blouses go the other way, and suit viscose, crepe, georgette and silk, which fall softly and gather well. A drapey viscose in a structured shirt pattern will collapse, and a stiff poplin in a blouse pattern will stand out from the body, so it's worth following the fabric notes on each pattern. Order a sample if you're not sure how a cloth behaves.

Related collections

For tees, vests and jersey tops rather than button-ups, see T-shirt and top patterns. For cloth, try cotton poplin, linen or viscose, and don't forget interfacing and buttons.

What's the difference between a shirt pattern and a blouse pattern?

Broadly, structure. A shirt has a collar and stand, a buttoned front placket and usually a yoke and cuffs, and it's cut for crisper cloth that holds its shape. A blouse is looser in definition: often collarless, sometimes pull-on, and drafted for fabrics that drape and gather. Blouses tend to be quicker to make and more forgiving to fit.

Are shirt patterns hard to sew?

They're more involved than most garments rather than genuinely difficult. The collar, placket and cuffs each need care and accurate pressing, but none of them is beyond a confident beginner working slowly. If you'd rather build up to it, a relaxed or boxy shirt without a separate collar stand is a gentler introduction, as is a blouse.

What fabric is best for a shirt?

Something with a bit of crispness, so it holds the collar and placket: cotton poplin, chambray, oxford cloth, brushed cotton for winter, or linen for a looser summer shirt. Blouses want the opposite, and work better in viscose, crepe, georgette or silk. Each pattern lists its recommendations, which are worth following.

Do I need interfacing for a shirt?

Yes, for the collar, stand, placket and cuffs. It's what stops them going soft and losing their shape after washing. Use a weight lighter than your fabric, and a woven interfacing if you're working with a woven cloth, so the two move together. Our interfacing collection covers the options.

Do you stock men's shirt patterns?

There are men's designs in the collection alongside the women's, though the range is smaller. The product description on each pattern states who it's drafted for and gives the size range, which for men's patterns is usually based on chest measurement.

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