Summer Shirt Tutorial

This is a tutorial to make a sweet, summer shirt for your child (or even for you!). This tutorial is based on measurements, not a pattern, so you can scale it up or down as needed. You can even make it into a lovely sundress!

Come visit me over at sewinharmony.com to see more pictures and get a bonus tutorial for adding a gathered cuff to a pair of shorts..

You ready to get started? Let's gather materials.

You will need:
Fabric (about 3/4 yard for a child's shirt)
Matching thread
Button
Coordinating Piping (optional)

Remove these ads by Signing Up

Step 1: Math and Cuts

Math
(All the math in sewing! I wish I paid better attention in geometry!) You will need your child’s chest (C), hip (H) and strap (S) measurements. Place those numbers into the following formulas to get the measurements for the cuts you will need to make. All seams are 1/2" seams (Except where piping is used). If you want a looser fit, simply increase the ease in each formula.

Front Band Width (FBW) = (C ÷ 2) + 1” (ease) + 1” (seam)

Back Bands Width (BBW) = (C ÷ 4) + 0.5” (ease) + 1” (seam) + 1” (button placket)

Body Height (BH) = Desired length from chest to hip + 1.25” (hem allowance)

Body Width (BW) = (H ÷ 2) + 5” (ease) + 1” (seam)

Strap Length (SL) = S + 1” (seam)

Ruffle Length (RL) = S x 1.5 (gathering ease-increase or decrease as desired)

Cuts to Make

Front Band: 3” x FBW (Cut 2)

Back Bands: 3” x BBW (Cut 4)

Body: BH x BW (Cut 2)

Straps: 4” x SL (Cut 2)

Ruffles: 3” x RL (Cut 2)

Note: For my 18 month old, I shortened both the band and the ruffles to 2.5”