Work on the back begins with sewing the two halves of the yoke together at the center back, using a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Press open the seam.

Lay the yoke and back pieces into position, right sides up. The excess fabric will need to be gathered or pleated in, though it’s not as much as on the fronts.

Flip the yoke down into position, right sides together, and pin the center of the yoke to the center of the back.

Now pin both ends together.

Now form a series of pleats on each half of the back until all of the excess fabric is used up, in a similar manner as the front. Ideally these will be all the same size and spaced equally, but as you can see, I didn’t quite do that here. Again the fit is more important than the look at this stage.

I pinned each pleat from the yoke side so that the feed dogs on the sewing machine would aid in taking up any excess fabric that I may have missed.

Now sew the yoke to the back with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Press both the yoke and the seam allowances up towards the neck.

By pressing the seams upward, you avoid extra bulk from the pleats or gathering, as well as the possibility of hiding the seams beneath the lining later on.

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Your Progress

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1	Sew the halves of the yoke together.
2	Pleat and sew the back to the yoke.

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Attaching the pleated front to the shirt front begins with some work on the front pattern piece. I’ve found the most accurate and stress-free way to do this step is to cut out the pleated portion of the pattern and the extra bit we added to the front area. You can simply tape the two pieces again later before cutting out the shirt from your nice fabric.

Lay the shirt front pattern on the shirt front, aligning the edges as closely as possible. Draw a line indicating the inside edge and bottom edge of the pleats.

Along the vertical, inner edge of the pleats, add a 1/2″ seam allowance. At the bottom add 3/4″ or 1″ seam allowance. Note that I did a 1/2″ seam at the bottom of the pleats, which I don’t think will give us enough room to work with on the actual shirt. For this muslin toile, it will work just fine.

Cut out the rectangular piece along the added seam line. This piece can be used for another project as it’s not used in the shirt.

Pin one half of the pleated front to the shirt front, aligning the folded edge of the pleats with the seam line you drew earlier. Be sure the bottom of the pleats aligns precisely with the bottom seam line.

Very important! Make sure that your pleated front is arranged so that the left side overlaps the right! I completely forgot about that and ended up with a woman’s shirt-style opening.

Repeat the process with the other side of the pleated front. At this point, the bottom of the shirt is still hanging freely.

Now sew along the vertical edge on each side of the pleated front, about 1/8″ from the folded edge, removing the pins as you go.

Closing the bottom of the pleats

To close the bottom edge of the pleated front, first find the center front of the shirt itself – it will probably have a creased edge from being on the bolt.

Pin the center front of the shirt to the center front of the pleats, aligning the bottom of the pleats with the seam line you drew in earlier.

You’ll have noticed that there is a large quantity of fabric on the shirt as compared to the pleated front. This excess must be gathered in nicely for the real shirt – for this toile, I chose to just use some unmeasured pleats.

Form the pleats with your fingers in the shirt fabric, aligning the seam allowance line, and pinning them to the pleated front as you go. Work on one side of the shirt at a time.

Here are half of my pleats done. As you can see they’re not the same size. It doesn’t really matter for the toile, as we’re more worried about the fit here than the appearance.

Repeat the process for the other half of the pleated front.

Now sew across the bottom of the pleats through all layers, about 1/4″ from the bottom. This will secure the pleats well enough for our purposes.

Trimming the Neckline

We now need to trim the neckline to fit the pattern. Line up the pleated front portion of the pattern on top of your shirt, aligning the edge and bottom of the pleats. If you’ve worked accurately the shoulder lines should line up as well. If not, you may need to move the pattern slightly to get the shoulders to align.

Mark a line across the shoulder area and around the neck to the edge of the center placket.

Flip the pattern piece over and repeat the process for the other side. Hopefully everything aligns nicely in the neck area!

To secure the top edge of the pleats, stitch a line about 1/8″ to 1/4″ (doesn’t really matter) below the chalked neck line. Be careful that the pleats stay in position as you sew.

Finally, trim the pleated front along the new neck and shoulder lines. This completes the front of the shirt.

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Your Progress

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Attach the pleated front to the toile.

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I hadn’t planned on adding a section on making a toile for the shirt, but decided to include one just in case, as it’s good practice for those who have never made a shirt before, and for those who are working with odd or larger sizes. It’s up to you though, the muslin fabric I bought ended up being more expensive that the cotton I’ll be using for the shirt!

I’d highly recommend transferring the lines to an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper and making a test run with that so you can figure out any errors as well as have something to refer to as you go along.

Construction begins with the pleated front and laying out all the lines on your piece of cotton. I’ll be starting from the center front placket area with the 3/8 seam allowance.

Turn the seam allowance under and crease firmly with your fingers. It’s important to be as accurate as possible here and in all of the following steps.

Press firmly with a hot iron and a little steam if necessary. This general method of using the fingers and the iron is used throughout.

• 

• 

Now fold and press the fabric at the second line, forming the shirt placket.

This is the view from the underside.

Sew along the inner edge of the placket about 1/8 from the edge. I recommend pinning the placket first – it will keep the fabric layers from shifting as you sew.

Now we’ll begin forming the pleats using the following process. The size of your shirt and the pleats themselves determines how many pleats you will have, so you may end up with more or less than my four.

Take the second line from the placket as shown.

Fold and press this line, forming the outer edge of the new pleat.

After pinching the fabric along the line, I like to press it as shown below.

Then lay the pleated front out on the table again, taking the folded edge you just made.

Drag the pleat into position, lining it up with the edge of the placket.

Give it a firm, careful press and then secure with pins at the top, center, and bottom.

This completes the first pleat.

Continue the same process for the other pleats, pressing every second line, folding it into position, and pinning.

Next, fold over the remaining line to form the outer edge of the pleated front. The seam allowance folded underneath should be 1/2″ and this folded edge will later be sewn (felled) down to the shirt front.

Here’s one completed half of the pleated front. I like to give everything a firm press at this point.

You can check your accuracy by laying one half of the pleated front directly on the pattern. I was surprised at how accurate mine was, from my past experiences. If you’re more than about 1/4″ off I’d recommend redoing the pleats and checking your work carefully.

(Note: I cut out the pleated section from my shirt front pattern. Don’t worry about doing this yet, it will be explained in the next section.)

With both halves complete, lay them together, left side on top (Oops, I just realized I did mine backwards!).

Baste the two halves together along the center front placket by hand. These stitches will stay in the shirt for most of the construction just to make things a little easier to work with.

Orienting the pleated front so that the left side is on top, square off the bottom of the pleats with a line.

Sew a line about 1/4″ – 1/2″ above this line just to keep everything in place. Be careful while sewing as it’s easy for the pleats to be moved around by the presser foot.

Now trim the bottoms of the pleats with the line you drew square across.

This completes the construction of the pleated front! With a bit of practice you should be able to get it down to about ten minutes per side (not counting any hand stitching).

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Your Progress

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Form the pleated front.

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Drafting the pleated front can seem a little tricky at first, but after you get the first pleat or two down it all starts to make sense.

First, you need to measure the distance between the top of the pleats at the shoulder, including the seam allowance and the bottom of the pleats. Add 3″ or 4″ to this measurement, giving us the height of the pleats we will draft. When constructing the pleats, it’s easy for things to get out of alignment, so the extra inches give room for error.

On a fresh sheet of paper, draw a vertical construction line 3″ to 4″ longer than the total height of the pleat length.

Square out at the top and bottom of the line. These horizontal lines should be around 20″ or so in length so that you don’t need to redraw them later.

Draw a vertical line parallel to the construction line at 3/8″ from O for the seam allowance of the center placket. I use 3/8″ to give some room for error and at the same time keep the seam allowance out of the buttonhole area.

Next, draw another two lines at 1″ from the previous to mark the outside and inside of the placket at the center front of the shirt. The one inch width can vary according to the style you’re going for or the specific shirt you are reproducing.

You should have determined your pleat width when drafting the front. I’ve decided to demonstrate here with 3/4″ pleats, but again, that can vary from less than 1/2″ to 1″.

Draw a dashed line 3/4″ from the previous line. This indicates the fabric is folded in the opposite direction as the other lines. Then draw an additional line 3/4″ from the dashed line.

This gives us our first pleat.

The next dashed line is double the width of the pleat in distance from the previous line. So in my case with a 3/4″ pleat, this dashed line is 1 1/2″ away.

Follow that with another solid line 3/4″ from the dashed line. This is our second pleat.

Continue adding pleats as shown until you have the correct number as determined in the draft of your shirt front.

To complete the draft at the inside edge of the placket, add one final line the width of the pleat plus any additional remainder you added. You may want to experiment with exactly the look you are going for at this point on a sheet of paper, so you can see exactly how the folds look.

Finally, add a 1/2″ seam allowance.

I do highly recommend copying the pleats to an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper and folding it into position so you can wrap your mind around how it works, as well as compare the pleats to your pattern to ensure they fit properly. It also makes a great reference as you’re ironing and basting the pleats themselves.

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Your Progress

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1	Draft the pleated front.
2	Test out your draft on a sheet of paper.

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To draft the yoked back, first draw a horizontal line, marking off the following points with your graduated ruler.

• 0
• 3 1/2
• 10

Next square up the following points to get the heights of the various points:

• 2 3/8 from 0
• 3 3/8 from 3 1/2
• 1 1/2 from 10

Now draw in the curve of the back neck. This should be pretty much horizontal from point 2 3/8, then curve somewhat sharply up to point 3 3/8.

Lastly, draw the shoulder seam from point 1 1/2 to 3 3/8 with a straight line.

Finally, add a 1/2″ seam allowance all the way around the shoulder yoke. You’ll cut four of these from the fabric, as two are used for the lining pieces.

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1	Draft the yoke.
2	Draft the collar.
3	Draft the cuffs

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Drafting the sleeves is a very simple matter. Start with the usual vertical construction line, marking the following points with your graduated ruler:

• 0
• 3 2/4
• 23 1/2

Square out from each of the points as follows:

• From 0 is just a construction line for the sleeve head, 2 or 3 inches works well.
• 10 5/8 from 2 3/4
• 6 3/4 from 23 1/2

Now draw the sleeve head curve as shown. At 0 it follows the construction line for an inch or so, before falling into a gentle ‘S’ curve through to point 10 5/8.

You should measure the length of the sleeve head with a tape measure and compare it to the diameter of the armscye. The sleeve will definitely be a lot larger, but excessively large sleeve heads get more difficult to fit into the armscye.

Finally, draw in the sleeve seam from 10 5/8 to 6 3/4. This completes the sleeve draft.

Now add a 1/2″ seam allowance along the sleeve head, the diagonal sleeve seam, and the cuff. The horizontal edge of the sleeve is cut on the fold.

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Draft the sleeves.

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The draft for the shirt back starts in much the same way, with a vertical construction line. Mark out the following points starting with zero:

• 0
• 1 1/2
• 5
• 8 5/8
• 37 1/2

Square out the following lines and points:

• 13 3/8 from 1 1/2
• 13 3/8 from 5
• 15 3/4 from 8 5/8
• 15 3/4 from 37 1/2

Begin drawing in the curves with the top edge. This is not actually the shoulder, but the bit below the shoulder, which will be gathered into the shoulder yoke.

I drew a construction line from 0 to 13 3/8, followed by a curve, almost perpendicular to 0 gently sloping into point 13 3/8.

Next, draw the back armscye, starting with a vertical line from 13 3/8 to 13 3/8, curving deeply into 15 3/4.

Finally, draw the side seam, curving into the bottom hem as you did on the front draft.

Finally, add seam allowances around the shoulder, armscye, side seam, and hem. The center back is left without a seam allowance and will be placed on the fold of the fabric.

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Draft the shirt back.

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Before you begin with the drafting, you’ll need to print out a set of graduated rulers (or at least your correct-sized ruler) to use for the draft. These are based on those used by Louis Devere in his drafting manual and allow you to scale a pattern up or down to the approximate size of the person.

Your ruler sized is based directly on your measurement. So if you’re a 42″ chest, choose a size 42 ruler, and so on. This measure is used for the entire draft. You can then use a regular measuring tape to check for fitting issues, which I’ll explain as we go along.

When printing out the rulers, the most important thing is to print them at 100%, else the scale and your draft will be off. If you have to print on regular 8 1/2 x 11 paper (as I usually do), the ends of the rulers will be cut off, so just use the bit you have and measure things out in multiples of 5 or whichever is easiest for you.

I’m drafting on a roll of poster paper, 36″ wide, that I got from Hobby Lobby. You may be able to find similar rolls at Staples, Amazon, and other such stores, or you could use something like the back side of wrapping paper.

You’ll also need a longer straight edge such as a tailor’s square, yard stick, or quilting ruler, and a sharp pencil.

Drafting the Front

Begin by drawing a vertical line on the right side of the paper (you may need to work sideways to get everything to fit).

Mark the top of the line as 0. From this 0 point, mark out the following distances along the line using your graduated ruler:

• 2
• 2 3/8
• 6 1/4
• 8 5/8
• 19 5/8
• 33 1/2

Next, ‘square out’, or draw lines at right angles to the original line, at each of the points you just marked out. Then measure the following distances on each of the squared out lines:

• 7 1/2 from 0
• 3/4 from 2
• 10 5/8 from 2 3/8
• 2 3/8 from 6 1/4
• 15 3/4 and 10 5/8 from 19 5/8
• 15 3/4 from 33 1/2

With the numbers all plotted out, it’s time to draw in the curves. You can do this free hand, or use something like a French curve or bendable drafting ruler to get the curves you like.

First, draw in the armscye from 3/4 through 2 3/8 down to 8 5/8 as shown.

Draw in the shoulder seam now. I like to first draw a straight line from 7 1/2 to 3/4, then follow that with the curved seam line itself, in order to more accurately tell how deeply I am curving the line. Devere doesn’t give an exact depth to the curve, so something like 1/2″ should work well in most cases.

Next is the neckline, with a construction line drawn first from 7 1/2 to 10 5/8. The curve should be drawn rather deeply, it’s almost vertical at 7 1/2, and the last bit closer to 10 5/8 follows the horizontal line for almost 2 inches.

Draw a vertical line from 10 5/8 to 10 5/8. This gives the front edge of the opening placket.

Draw one more vertical line at 15 3/4 for the center front edge of the shirt – this will actually be placed on the fold of the fabric later on.

The last bit of the draft’s curves is at the bottom of the side seam. Make a small curve here – mine started at about 3 inches from point 33 1/2 on either end. You could also use a can or plate here, anything that fits and is pleasing to your eye.

Draw a line parallel to the 10 5/8 line, about 1″ to 1 1/8″ inch away, depending on your size and preferences.

This next line is quite important, as we’ll be cutting various pieces based on this line later on. It is made parallel to the original construction line and should be placed about 1″ to 1 1/2″ in from the shoulder point. This forms the outer edge of the pleated front area.

Finally, draw in the desired pleat width parallel to the other lines. The spacing of the pleats is up to you – I’ve done 1″ and 1/2″ sized pleats in the past. Half inch pleats and smaller tends to get very tedious so I do recommend a larger pleat if this is your first attempt at a pleated front. The smaller pleats are also a pain to press!

The pleats should be spaced equally from the front placket area. As you can see, the outer pleat closest to the armscye is a lot smaller – you can either leave it, as it’s not very noticeable in the finished shirt, or move that outer line outwards to make all of the pleats equal in size.

Just a note, the pleats we’re drawing on this pattern are just to get an idea of what our chosen pleat size will look like. We’ll draft out the actual pleated section later on.

All that’s left to do is add a 1/2″ seam allowance, using a quilting square or similar device, around the neck area, shoulder, armscye, side seam, and bottom hem.

Rather than add a seam allowance to the front, which will be cut on the fold, continue the front seam vertically as well as extend the neck seam allowance horizontally until the two meet. The front edge will be cut on the fold of the fabric, and this makes certain steps a little more manageable.

Finally, make sure the bottom edge as well as the outer edge of the pleats is marked on the pattern. These need to be transferred to the fabric later on.

The shirt pattern we are using is from Devere’s Gentleman’s Monthly Magazine of Fashion, July 1859, and is cut extremely loose in the fit. It’s not quite an ‘on the square’ shirt as there are some refinements to the shoulder and neck area, but it’s close. If you’re of a size greater than around 40 – 42″ chest, you should take the extra measurements and compare them to the shirt to ensure you do not create a balloon of a shirt.

When measuring, you or the person being measured should wear a dress shirt or period shirt ideally.

Breast

Measure around the fullest part of the chest. This measurement is written down as half for the sake of the draft. So a 38″ chest becomes 19″ when drafting. This measurement also determines the size of graduated ruler you should use for drafting.

N.B. The shirt is so unfitted that no waist measurement is necessary.

Neck

The neck should be taken fairly tightly around the neck, including the collar (stand it up). When you’re drafting, compare the neck size of the draft to your measurement to make sure you’re on the right track.

Length

Taken from the back, measure from the base of the collar down to the desired length. The draft we are using produces a very long shirt as was the style, and so if you are a larger size, it’s quite possible your shirt will touch the floor if you do not adjust the measurement! Ideally should be a few inches above the knees.

Back Width

This is basically a check measurement to ensure the back of the shirt does not become too wide. While the shirt has 4 – 6 inches of ease in the back shoulder area, if you are a larger size this will end up too wide. Measure from armpit to armpit (not under, just to the armpit) across the back.

Sleeve

The sleeves are more difficult to measure due to the looseness of the shirt – they don’t end at the same point as on a coat. So stand with your arm and elbow both held at 90 degrees, and measure from your armpit along the back of the arm to just past the wrist. Then compare with your draft as necessary.

Opening

To help determine the depth of the pleats at the front, measure from the bottom of the collar at the neck to the desired opening of the pleats. Generally, I like to make my pleats end at about 3″ below the opening or top button of my waistcoat. If you don’t yet have a waistcoat, just estimate where you’d like it to open and then add the 3″ to that.

There may be some other measurements that are of use in very rare cases, but these should certainly cover most drafts. If you need any help or have any questions, please post your questions in the support forum!