The (red, modified) Oversized Shirt Pattern by The Assembly Line

My favourite, most frequently worn garment right now is the shirt, a shirt, any shirt. Works under a blazer or jumper, layered over a tank or tee, worn on its own, open or closed, sleeves rolled up or down, tucked in or out. These good shirty feels mean I’ve now got a good shirty collection, mostly me-mades and a few shop bought as well. I still wear this linen Olya Shirt from 2019 and after five solid years wear, it’s looking well loved but tired. I love that pattern so much I made another one earlier in the year and this one definitely gets the gold medal for the-shirt-with-the-most-wears. In the warmer months, I’ve learnt that a short-sleeve shirt is a very handy piece to have. In 2021 I made this style from a Japanese pattern book and promptly followed up that sew with a basic black version.  I also have a white, oversized RTW short sleeved shirt and wear it heaps in spring/summer. And it’s really the practicality of that shirt that led me to make this shirt – the Oversized Shirt Pattern by The Assembly Line.

I’ve heard and read numerous accolades for this pattern company but, until now, had never tried one out. A few of my shirt-loving co-workers have sewn, love and wear this particular pattern. That was enough of an endorsement for me to give it a go and it did not disappoint!

Fashion’s been having a moment with red and I decided so will I, choosing this brilliant Adele cotton poplin (available in all these other colours as well). As far as shirt sews go, this one was pretty straightforward and by virtue of it being short sleeves and therefore no sewing of cuffs, it was even more straightforward. I sewed up a size small, shortening the sleeve pattern piece to 26cm/10″ and hemmed them to finish right at my elbow.

I wanted my shirt to be long, but not as long as the original pattern design, so I shortened through the body by 14cm and eliminated the side pockets as well.

The fit around the neck is spot on and I love the slightly subtle yet larger proportions of the collar (you can also purchase this collar extension pack if you want to try out different collar styles). Of all the shirts I’ve ever made, I finally nailed my sharpest corners ever using the excellent thread tail method and I’ll never, ever go back.

Inspired by this Tibi shirt detailing, I added a 25mm D ring detail over the back pleat and I might just need to incorporate a D ring in every make now. Not functional, just cute.

I sewed this shirt as a spring/summer piece but Melbourne weather is very much playing winter right now. No matter though – it’s already working with a few of my cold weather garments and I really love how this colour wears with camel. Case in point: with this RTW coat, below.

I’m keen to try out this pattern again (and again), and definitely in both long and short sleeve versions. If you’re loving shirts like me right now, what’s your favourite shirt pattern?