How to make a kids' shirt

1. Materials & tools

Materials (size 110 cm)

• Main fabric (oxford, broadcloth or linen) — about 110 cm wide × 110 cm (44 × 43 in)
• Lightweight fusible interfacing — about 30 cm (12 in) for the collar and front bands
• Buttons (1–1.3 cm / ½ in) — 3–5
• Sewing thread to match

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Kids' clothes” → “Kids' shirt” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter chest, length, shoulder width, sleeve length, front overlap and ease. Presets cover 90, 110 and 130 cm.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   Trace the back (on the fold), the fronts, the sleeves and the collar. The fronts already include the button band allowance.
2. Cut
   Cut one back, two fronts, two sleeves and two collar pieces.
3. Apply interfacing
   Fuse interfacing to one collar piece and the front band area — buttonholes fray without it.
4. Finish the edges
   Zigzag the shoulder, side and underarm allowances.

4. Sewing

4-1. Finish the front edges

1. Turn each front edge under twice by the overlap width and stitch. Press the folds firmly first so both sides come out the same.
2. Do this first — once the collar is on, the presser foot will not fit.

4-2. Shoulders and sleeves

1. Sew both shoulder seams and press the allowances open.
2. Match the center of each sleeve head to the shoulder seam and sew the sleeve in.
3. Child armholes are small — the free arm on your machine makes this much easier.

4-3. Make and attach the collar

1. Sew the collar pieces right sides together, leaving the lower edge open. Trim the corners and turn.
2. Sandwich the neckline between the collar layers and sew around, lining the collar ends up with the folded front edges.
3. Clip the neckline curve so the collar stands rather than fights the neckline.

4-4. Sides, cuffs and buttons

1. Sew from the cuff along the underarm and down to the hem in one line.
2. Turn the cuffs and hem under twice and stitch.
3. Work buttonholes on the right front and sew buttons on the left, evenly spaced with the first 1 cm below the collar.

✏️ Always test a buttonhole on a scrap first. Machines differ, and a hole a millimetre short will not take the button while one cut long lets it slip open. The right length is the button diameter plus its thickness.

5. Tips & variations

• Snaps for small children: plastic snaps are far easier for little fingers than buttonholes.
• Short sleeves: shorten the sleeve and the same pattern covers summer.
• Add a name tag: inside the back neck, it also tells the child which way round it goes.