Sewing for Boys: Simplicity 8180 boy's shirts

 I wanted to make Damien some soft, long sleeved nice shirts.  I used Simplicity 8180.  It's a simple pattern but I wasn't thrilled with the details.  It has a good fit but I will look for another pattern for a better finish.  The top button is supposed to close with a loop and I used a button hole instead.  The button placket is not attached according to the pattern and I changed that.  It's little details that make a pattern nicer and seem more professional.  I liked how they turned out, I would just use a different pattern for the shirt in the future.  The pattern does come with a tie and shorts option as well as men's sizes.  I definitely would use a different pattern for the men's shirt.

This is an okay pattern for a beginner sewer for a shirt and the shorts and tie are nice.  Use a ball point needle when sewing with flannel and make sure you wash your fabric first!  The dinosaurs were a lot whiter before I washed the fabric and it didn't shrink as much as I thought it would.  You want any changes to your fabric to happen before you start sewing with it.