Sewing for Men

Thread Theory Designs Finlayson Sweater

6 November, 20226 November, 2022by Janine Sews2 Comments

From Thread Theory: This sweater is a grown up version of the classic hoodie. It will be a wardrobe staple due to its cozy boxy shape and hard wearing cuffed hems but there is no worry of looking like a slob while wearing it!

Early in 2022 I participated in a sewing challenge and my focus was free patterns from Canadian designers/pattern companies. This was a great exercise as it introduced me to new-to-me companies. One of those companies is Thread Theory.

When I decided to make something for my husband, I remembered Thread Theory and purchased the Finlayson patterns for a hoodie. This was not a free pattern however, I thought it was well worth the money because it’s a basic. (*Note – all of the companies I discovered in my challenge are included in my Resources page.)

The pattern is well drafted and easy to use. There’s one set of notches missing – you mark a notch on the bottom edge of the hoodie but there is not a corresponding mark on the bottom band. Not a big deal but worth noting.

This pattern was appealing because of the way the hood is attached – more like a shawl collar than just a hood stuck on in place of a collar or collar stand.

Fabric

Sweatshirt fleece from Fabricland West (Canada). It’s a nice fabric (that means expensive!) that wasn’t difficult to sew. Ideally, I would have used ribbing for the hem and cuffs. Next time …

Alterations

No alterations! Gosh, it’s easy sewing for a guy. Granted, it is a sweatshirt …

I cut a straight L for my husband. Because this is a relatively slim fitting design, I stitched the side seams at 1 cm to give him a bit more breathing room.

Embellishments

The inspiration for the embellishments was his BMW motorcycle – it’s blue, black and chrome as is the BMW logo. And his helmet is red (check out the embroidered rider). For embellishments I focused on things that were: a) masculine, b) sporty and c) not over the top because he’s not an over the top guy. 😆

My husband is a motorcyclist and anything BMW will be worn!

LEFT SLEEVE: I wanted a design that was simple and conveyed speed since he likes to ride fast. On the left sleeve I sewed on a stripe that is made up of two layers of grosgrain ribbon (1″ black with 3/8″ ivory layered over). The ribbons were first attached using Steam a Seam and then stitched along the edge.

RIGHT FRONT CHEST: He asked me to incorporate a BMW logo that he had sitting in a drawer. “You can sew it on with your machine.” Yeah, it’s rubber. It was stitched on by hand using topstitching thread.

BACK: I used my Brother ScanNCut machine to scan the logo for the model of his motorcycle then cut it from heat transfer vinyl and ironed it on. I haven’t used this machine much so this was absolutely the most challenging part of the whole project and took the most time.

INSIDE BACK FACING: The inside back facing got the most attention.I embroidered a motorcycle rider (with a red helmet), attached some grosgrain ribbon to finish/smooth the back neck seam and sewed on a Kylie & the Machine label.

He likes things that are relatively understated so this has enough accents and embellishments to make it unique but it isn’t so over the top that he won’t wear it out of the house 😁

Indie Patterns, Sewing

Bespoke PJs

7 March, 2021by Janine Sews7 Comments

As usual, Pattern Review announced the Sewing Bee contest challenge and I was compelled to enter. This year, Round 1 was pyjamas for an adult. My husband made a couple of sad comments (😕 I need new pyjamas. Can your entry be for someone other than you? 😿) So I made PJs for him. The challenge was to make not just pyjamas but to make them unique for the wearer.

Pattern

I used a pattern I have used twice before to make him PJ bottoms – Favorite Things Pattern Designs Sleep Well (V034). When I started sewing again in 2015, I took a ‘return to sewing’ class at Discover Sewing in Atlanta and our project was these PJ bottoms so I felt very confident sewing the pants and the top looked simple.

“Bespoke” PJs

I wanted to make these something that DH will wear (no cat fabric), so that meant finding a print that would be fun and be wearable. He’s a proud alumnus of the Pennsylvania State University and I had a bunch of PSU logo’d fabric around so the decision was made. The top requires 2 1/4 yards of 45″ fabric but I had just 2 yards of the Nittany Lion fabric and nothing suitable for bottoms (2 2/3 yards of 45″). Off to Hobby Lobby for a lunchtime shop. (The Sewing Bee has a short window – just 7-days – so if you live away from a major city there likely isn’t enough time to order fabric without paying for express shipping.) I had hoped to find a nice checkerboard or plaid to match but only find stripes.

To advance to the next round of this competition you really have to make your garment stand out. You might be able to get away with a perfectly sewn garment and excellent pictures for the first round but each year there are more entrants so that means you have to do something to catch the eye of the judges, and in this case, add elements that made the PJs unique for the wearer. I had the print and striped fabric so decided to mix things up and use bits of both fabric on both the top and pants, and add piping where possible.

Construction Basics

For both pants and top, I finished all the seam allowances through the serger to keep them secure through many washings. All hems were stitched with my coverstitch.

The top pattern piece has fold over front facings. I wanted to add piping so I separated the front piece into a front and a facing. I didn’t trace, I just cut down the fold line and had to remember to add a 1/2″ seam allowance to each side. That allowed me to insert a strip of facing down the front.

Facing piece on left, piping in middle, front piece on right

The piping was made by cutting 2 1/2″ wide bias strips of the striped fabric. I then folded the fabric over 1/8″ cording and stitched the piping closed on my regular machine with a zipper foot installed. The piping was inserted between the front and facing on the left side only. (I had to keep reminding myself that this is a man’s top so it closes bassackwards.)

Because I only had 2 yards of the PSU fabric, I was a smidge short for the sleeves. They were cut about 1″ too short and my husband declined to sign off on the capped sleeves design feature. I had plenty of striped fabric so I added 3 1/2″ of striped fabric to the bottom of the sleeve then folded it under and coverstitched along the seam line.

For the front closure, the pattern suggested either buttons or snaps. I asked DH what he would like and he chose snaps, so I stitched on big old snaps. To secure the front band so it didn’t pull, I ran a row of stitching down the front from the neckline to hem, 2 1/4″ in from the edge of the front.

Time to do the pants!

Oh, these pants are a quick make! I sewed the side, inside and crotch seams on the serger. For the waistband, DH had asked for a combination of elastic and ties so I stitched button holes in the front of the waist band to allow for ties.

For the waistband itself, I made two fabric ties from the contrast fabric, each 15″ long with one end finished. I cut an 18″ piece of elastic then stitched a fabric tie to each end of the elastic. The elastic segment of the waistband went at the back, and I ran a row of stitches in the centre back of the waistband to hold the elastic in place. The fabric ties came out through the button holes. This will allow him to either tighten or loosen the waistband as needed. It gives a lot more flexibility than just a piece of elastic.

DH’s primary request was a pocket for his Kindle, on the right leg, above the knee. (Yes, he was that specific.) I used a piece of the contrast fabric and added piping then stitched it on the leg.

Once the pocket was on and hem stitched, these were done!

This was a fun and easy project to sew. I have not sewn anything for him for quite awhile and honestly, it was so easy to fit … I cut a medium and there were no adjustments. Gee, what a difference from sewing clothes for me!

He likes his PJs and is ACTUALLY WEARING THEM!