Hi Sewists!
First I’ll start with the ones that everyone seemed to mention when I asked people which menswear patterns were their favourites.
- Thread Theory Patterns: These seem to be the patterns that everyone thinks of when we talk about indie menswear patterns. Thread Theory have a selection of 7 printed men’s patterns and 14 PDFs for clothing, ranging from the Comox Trunks to the Goldstream Coat (which according to my hubby is on my making list for this spring). They also have released a range of 3 wallet patterns perfect for scrap busting and gifts. If Instagram is to be believed, the Finlayson Sweater and Newcastle Cardigan have been firm favourites for gifting this year.
- True Bias: The Hudson Pants are a firm favourite in my household as I have 2 boys who live in their joggers (aka sweatpants). I have a couple of pairs for lounging around the house in too so they’re a great casual staple. The Hudson comes in a men’s fit as well as a women’s so there’s no need to adapt it for our slightly differing body shapes and sizes.
- Colette Walden Line: The Albion Duffle and Negroni Shirt have been staples in sewing menswear for a while now. I made the Albion twice last year, once for my husband, who calls it his Paddington Bear coat, and once for myself. I wrote blog posts about them too if anyone fancies giving it a go themselves this year. Unfortunately if you don’t like using PDFs, you can no longer get print versions of these patterns. As I found out, there’s 88 A4 pages to an Albion Duffle PDF so it’s definitely worth paying to get it printed out on A0!
- Seamwork: Another 4 patterns are available over at Seamwork and with 2 new patterns released every month there may be more to come in the near future. The Paxson sweater and Denali body warmer are great for the cooler weather, and the Harrington shorts and Eugene tee are perfect for when it’s warmer.
- Merchant and Mills: There’s 4 clothing patterns either especially for Men or Unisex over at Merchant and Mills, along with a selection of unisex bags. My favourites are the Landgate hooded top, which I’m in the process of making for myself after finally finding some perfect oilcloth for, and the All State shirt. As with most Merchant and Mills patterns, they are quite boxy and unfitted if that’s your style but they’re easily adapted to be a little more fitted If it’s not.
- Fehr Trade: If active wear is something that you’re after then Fehr Trade is always going to be a good bet. The Surf to Summit top and Lightspeed leggings are nicely unisex and perfect for running or cycling. Although if you’re sewing for a man who is anything like my self-conscious husband, you might want to layer those tight leggings with a pair of baggy shorts for modesty reasons!
- Jalie: A great range of 27 patterns are available from this Canadian Independent company. It’s mostly casual and sportswear with a few specialist items for activities such as gymnastics and dance, but there’s even socks and underwear in the mix. There’s quite a good range of sizes too with a lot of the patterns going up to a 50” chest or 47” waist for the curvy guys out there.
- Big 4 (Vogue, McCalls, Butterick, Simplicity): As always with the big 4, there’s a wide range of items available for men, from PJs to suits and everything in between. Personally I’m not a huge fan of the big 4 as I find that I have to make a ton of adjustments for my slim, broad shouldered, long armed and 6’2” hubby which renders most of their patterns to be a day of faffing around with toiles for even a simple garment. But if they’re your size and shape, then the selection of items is extensive.
Once I started digging around the internet for menswear patterns, I soon found a few patterns and companies that I hadn’t yet discovered. I always like finding out that there’s great patterns out there that I didn’t yet know about!
Here are a few that you might have missed:
- The Wolf and the Tree: Just a couple of men’s patterns here but there’s a fab Daily athletic fit tee which comes in big + tall fit and goes up to a 60” chest.
- Sew Sew Def: Available via Mimi G style, these PDF patterns were available as part of Sew Sew Def digital magazine (which can also be purchased over at Mimi G) There’s the Gosling shirt, Wooster board shorts and Beckham trunks among the collection. They’re nicely on-trend too.
- Toby K: This American pattern company wasn’t on my radar until now but I’ll certainly be having a go at the Kodiak Crossover Zip-up now that I’ve seen it! There’s a selection of 6 PDF patterns including a hat, vest and joggers. Being a Yorkshire Lass though, I was amused to find a sweater pattern called the Yorkshire Cardigan.
- Hot Patterns: I don’t know if it’s because they’re not readily available in the UK or I’ve somehow just missed them, but Hot Patterns have a selection of 6 men’s patterns available that I’d never seen before! Like Jalie, they have a good range of sizes for the curvier man and the items form a lovely little capsule wardrobe.
So that’s my roundup! I’ve certainly found a few patterns that I want to make for either my hubby or myself (perhaps with a little bit of adjustment for my hourglass shape though), and I hope that you’re feeling a little more inspired to give menswear patterns a go.
Don’t forget to share your makes with us! Gem x
Gem is a member of the Sewcialists blog community, and blogs at Bobbins & Bolts.