The cut of men's shirts

This weekend, I'm making another shirt for E. I am, once again, using the sloper I made for him two years ago.

It's based the 'tailored shirt block' from Winifred Aldrich's Metric pattern cutting for menswear. I know I've been banging on about this book before, but, allow me to repeat myself: if you're interested in pattern making and sometimes sew for the man/men in your life, this is a book for you. It includes three different blocks for shirts alone, so you can pick the style most suited for your loved one. And of course, the instructions are there to draft all these styles to the measurements you've made. Even if those shirts are all you use, it's worth it.

In my opinion, there's only one major drawback: the instructions result in a pattern with 1 cm seam allowance included. And I like to do flat felled seams on a shirt, so I need 1.5 cm.

Making this sloper has allowed me to make well fitting shirts for E, who has an abnormally thick neck and is otherwise taller and more athleticly built than standard patterns assume. I've tried all three blocks on him and found out that the 'tailored shirt block' is by far the best choice for his shape.

And yesterday, I measured my, quite skinny but broad shouldered, younger brother. I've made him shirts for his birthday before, but this time I think it should be a made-to-measure one.