Bespoke Cutter And Tailor

And I think you have to rework the neckhole.
Measure your neck circumference (NC) and follow the sketches:






Your shoulder seam will be placed differently because it is probably shifted forward. You should do this operation with front and yoke pattern  joined at the shoulder seam to get the right overview.

Looking at the pattern I See some flaws and too many straight lines.
As Schneiderfrei nentioned, the collar base line ist too straight. Thus ist my shirt collar:



the yoke seam also needs some shaping. This is my pattern( pronouced blades):

PS re adding darts to the lower seam of the yoke. If there's little or no excess to pinch out at the sides there, then excess height needs to be added to the shoulder tips. This is then pinched out by the dart, so there's no net gain/loss.

Similar principle as when we're adding darts to a trouser pattern. We add cloth at the waist only to take it out again; the aim of the exercise being to create shape, rather than to pinch out excess cloth.

PPS Obviously making the shoulders squarer is going to add more circumference to the armhole. Therefore the sleeve may need recutting.

Quote from: Schneiderfrei on May 30, 2025, 08:49:05 AM

Quote from: Hendrick on May 30, 2025, 08:32:49 AMThat, and the fact that the "hand of the maker" is obviously missing in a handmade shirt of course...

Do you mean like this Hand? 

YO!

To paraphrase the late, great Edward Sexton, everything hangs from the shoulders. Get the hang right and the rest is detail in terms of fit. You might think that the back is a trivial thing, but your garment will look more elegant and fit better if you get it to hang properly there.

Looking at your photos again, your shoulders are pulling up the back further down too. Particularly on the LHS. The shoulder of the yoke probably needs to be shaped differently on both sides to compensate. The yoke would benefit from a dart too, as mentioned by peterle. As things stand, there's nothing to provide some shaping over the shoulders.

As for shortening the stand at the front, it may have looked too high, but did you try the shirt with a tie? There's a reason for that height.

Quote from: Hendrick on May 30, 2025, 08:34:54 AMThat, and the fact that the "hand of the maker" is obviously missing in an automated shirt of course...

Content warning: minor rant ahead.

Bypassing the hand of the maker isn't always a bad thing, frankly! I follow a well known shirt manufacturer on X. Last year they posted a tweet about a cuff they're famous for accompanied by a publicity photo. After expanding the image I noticed that the top-stitching was abysmal. Said shirt was several hundred pounds.

Personally, I find some of the 'name' shirtmakers a bit of a con. They take great pride in the fact that they use single-needle machines for every stage of production; though some of the techniques they use, I would put in the 'quick-and-dirty' category. Somehow, using industry-standard (as in ready-to-wear) work practices from the middle of the last century is virtuous. They're basically saying that they're too backward-thinking to invest in modern technology.

I can understand that mentality from smaller makers because they don't have the cash to invest in expensive machinery; but the larger 'bespoke' brands would really benefit from rethinking their production methods. They could offer better-made shirts at a much cheaper price; yet they would still have the edge in terms of fit and quality of raw materials. They make a 100% machined product anyway, so they have nothing to gain by living in the past.

Were I a consumer, I'd go to a tailor to make my shirts. A tailor is more likely to put in the work: the care and attention needed to produce a beautiful end-result. Though even then some fall at the last hurdle by not pre-shrinking cloth properly.

Shirt-making is a very grey area. A lot of consumers are getting ripped off one way or another.

300 doing is way better.

Quote from: Hendrick on May 30, 2025, 08:32:49 AMThat, and the fact that the "hand of the maker" is obviously missing in a handmade shirt of course...

Do you mean like this Hand? 

Ok, thank you for that. You can't really do alterations for sway back in this case, since that sort of consideration needs to be done at the drafting stage.

It's sound logic to me to do a yoke on a muslin in order to avoid distortion in the cloth, although it does mean a bit of extra work. If the muslin cloth were stiffer, and you worked quickly and carefully, you wouldn't need to do that.

Before going on to the collar and stand, I am bothered by the ripples on the left front. Are they just a button placement problem?  If not you will need to re-think the left front, because there are also ripples evident out at the scye/armhole.  I would recommend starting by checking the button placement, even go as far as removing them and starting again.

At this point I would like to point to posaune's recommendation - 'work your muslin until it's dead!'

Is your collar pattern exact? The bottom edge of your piece is straight. Often the bottom edge of the collar is curved slightly, as in the diagram below. As it stands (pun observed) that could account for the excess cloth that distorts the collar as we see it now.




 

Quote from: Hendrick on May 30, 2025, 08:32:49 AM

Quote from: Gerry on May 25, 2025, 07:55:09 AM

Quote from: Hendrick on May 25, 2025, 07:31:10 AMSpecialised formpressing systems by Veith but also Pony of Italy (as well as asian knock off's I guess) are widely used for collars and cuffs. Many manufacturers often create their own custom cushions for these as forms vary...

Thank you for confirming that Hendrick. I've watched videos on youtube showing shirt production in huge, modern factories and the degree of automation and specialised equipment is staggering. Likewise the results: it's difficult to compete with the precision and finish of a shirt that's almost totally machine made! Thankfully, fit and style are something we still have some control over.

That, and the fact that the "hand of the maker" is obviously missing in a handmade shirt of course...

Cheers, Hendrick

Woops: That, and the fact that the "hand of the maker" is obviously missing in an automated shirt of course...