Quick & Dirty Shirt


If you've been to a renaissance faire before, you've probably noticed that clothing is just a wee bit on the pricey side. If you're just looking for something basic, you really don't need to pay those prices to have something comfortable and suitable to wear. These instructions don't even require a pattern! Heck, you could probably take the measurements with a ruler if you don't have a measuring tape.


  1. Measure from the middle of your shoulder (at the top) to where you want your shirt to end (just below the hips is good). Add 2-3” to the measurement and write it down as “torso length”.
  2.  
  3. Measure from the middle of your armpit, to the middle of your other arm pit. Add 3-4” to the measurement, and write it down as “torso width”.
  4.  
  5. Measure from the edge of your shoulder to your wrist (or however long you want the sleeve to be). Add 2-3” and write it down as “arm length”.
  6.  

  7. Measure from the top of your shoulder to the bottom of your arm pit (not the middle), and around again. Add 3-4” to the measurement and write it down as “arm width”.


Shirt pieces


  1. Cut out 4 rectangles according to your measurements. 2 with arm length X arm width measurements, and two with torso length X torso width measurements.

  2. Lay the two torso pieces flat with right sides together (inside out).
  3.  
  4. Cut a curved piece out from the middle of the top of the torso pieces- where your neck will be. You may want to fold the pieces together lengthwise to get the exact center- you don't want your neck to be on the side. You want to hole to be a little larger than your neck. You can hold the pieces up to your chest to check for the correct width.
  5.  
  6. Decide which piece will be the front of your shirt. Find the exact center of the neck hole, and cut 3-5” straight down from the middle. Put the torso piece back together, and lay them flat on the work space (floor, table, whatever).
  7.  

  8. Make certain that everything matches up, and sew the shoulder seam from the edge of the neck hole to the edge of the fabric- where the shoulder should be.

  9. Fold the sleeves in half lengthwise, also inside out. Find the center of the shoulder and line up with the shoulder seam on the torso piece.
  10.  
  11. Sew along the sides of the shirt, starting at the bottom of the wrist, to the armpit, and down to where the shirt's hem will be.
  12.  
  13. Hem the wrists, bottom of the shirt, and around the neck hole.
  14.  
  15. Poke small holes on either side of the slit at the neck hole. Use fray check or stitch around them to keep them from tearing.
  16.  

  17. Thread ribbon, leather thong, shoe string, or twine through the holes, lacing it up like you would a pair of shoes.