Sewing for Men

Dear users, dear authors,
what do you sew for men? Tell me about it.

So far, I’ve sewn jeans, a housecoat, and outdoor jackets for my husband. Men’s tailoring is a completely different field from women’s tailoring—it’s not for nothing that it’s its own profession. I haven’t dared to try making a suit jacket yet, because that’s a science in itself, and a completely different topic from a blazer in women’s fashion.

Best regards, Inge

I sewed this hoodie for my grandson for his 25th birthday


I sewed these two pieces for my husband a while back; he only got the green jacket from me last Christmas, and the jeans have already gone the way of many others—they’ve been taken apart again because they no longer fit. :-)

Best regards, Inge

So far, a T-shirt (I found a great sewing pattern here on CP!) and a few hats. But I’m still just starting out on my “sewing journey” :D I’m sure there’s more to come. 

I’ve already made quite a few things for “little” guys (Leo and my nephew)—pants, shirts, sweaters, scarves,... 

So far, I’ve sewn three pairs of boxer shorts for my husband (loose-fitting, woven fabric, with a button placket and French seams). I’ve picked out the fabric and pattern for a hoodie, but my first attempt turned out too small, so I’m sewing one for myself instead; his will have to wait until next winter.

I’d also like to try my hand at sewing a pair of pants. It would be great to be able to sew long pants for him—he’s on the stockier side with above-average calves and a dislike for form-fitting styles, so he has a hard time finding ready-to-wear pants that fit him well. My first attempt, though, will be a pair of mid-length fabric cargo pants—I’m still a little nervous; my machine might not be able to handle thicker denim after all^^

And last but not least, he’s also going to get a homemade short-sleeved casual shirt.

What exactly are French seams?

I sewed a vest for my husband because I couldn’t find one. And I did that 30 years ago—I sewed him a traditional vest back then... now the old one is too tight for him... so I sewed him a bigger one. They’re special vests...

You don’t need to neaten French seams beforehand—the raw edges are enclosed between two seams or layers of fabric. I like this technique and think it looks really nice.

Let me try to explain:

• You’ll need a slightly wider seam allowance for this, e.g., 1.5 cm
• Unlike usual, the corresponding seams are first sewn together wrong sides together, using a little less than half the seam allowance
• So let’s imagine a dress with French side seams. After the first step, we see the nice sides on the outside, and 0.6 cm of seam allowance is sticking out on the right and left, as if we’d made a mistake while sewing—plus, the garment should be a bit tighter
• Turn the garment inside out—now we see the inside, and the seam allowance is on the inside—and press the side edges
• Then we sew along the side seams again using the remaining width of the seam allowance; you can turn the garment right side out again to check—and now the inside looks almost as nice as the outside, and the seams are nice and sturdy, with delicate raw fabric edges protected from fraying
• We can now press the enclosed seams in one direction and, if necessary, topstitch them from the right side parallel to the actual side seam; from the outside, this looks somewhat like a flat-felled seam
• Of course, this technique has its limits and isn’t suitable for every seam—the seam allowances are thicker and don’t lie flat in overly pronounced curves

Thanks for the info, Notnadel.