DIBY Anything But Basics Men's Tee

Pattern Stats

Pattern designer: Doitbetteryourself.club

Pattern level: 1.5/10

Time start to finish: 1 hour

Suggested fabrics: DBP, Cotton Lycra, rayon spandex, bamboo, jersey

My fabric: Cotton lycra bodice with bamboo sleeves

Price: FREE

I get it that not all men prefer to be sewn for. My husband is the exception. He loves when I make him clothing for the same reasons I love making them for myself; We can achieve the optimal fit. He has always struggled with clothing fit as his shoulders are wider than his waist and hips.

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in testing DIBY's first men's pattern, the Anything But Basic Men's Tee. This tee was a labor of love for Jessica to draft as men's fits are much different than women's. What you'll find to love about DIBY is their extremely comprehensive guide for fit. There are adjustments for wide shoulder, narrow shoulder, steep shoulder, full tummy, and broad back. I was surprised that my hubby didn't need any adjustments as I've always described him as broad shouldered but in reality, he is just more muscular across the chest with a smaller waist. 

To achieve an ideal fit for him, all I needed to do was grade. He measured to have a 39.5" chest so I opted to size up to the size 40 chest size. I may choose to go to the 39 in a more draped fabric such as rayon spandex or full bamboo but with the weight of the cotton lycra I used, sizing up was better. I then graded in to a size 39 waist and hips. 

The pattern comes in two drafted heights of Standard, for 5'9" height and Tall for 6'2" height. My husband is 5'6" so I removed height in both the front and back bodice pieces. For this shirt I removed 2" but on the next one I plan on removing only 1.5". 

Now let's talk about this fabric! We are both Star Wars fans so I bought this cotton lycra early on when I started sewing apparel. It's actually been in my fabric collection since late 2016. When he saw it recently and asked what I had planned for it, I knew it was probably time to come up with a plan. This BB8 inspired fabric is from Sweet N' Charmed and offered in many fabric bases. They just had a pre-order open for a very similar look which just closed. You can keep an eye out for retail through the facebook group linked if you are looking for it. The grey bamboo cotton lycra jersey for the sleeves and neckband is from Knitpop.

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