Finished Project: HotPatterns 2006 - Mr. HP Nice & Easy T's

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post lamenting the lack of available patterns for larger men. I am happy to report that while the Mr. HP Nice & Easy t-shirt pattern from HotPatterns stops at an XXL, it's a roomy XXL, and I only had to do a fairly easy grade-up of ~2 sizes and add a little length in a few places to get a nice, relaxed fit t-shirt for my big-and-tall husband.

To be fair, I've noticed that there seems to be a better variety of current-looking men's patterns now than there was when I started sewing seven years ago. However, the lines with the more current/stylish designs (Thread Theory, Vogue, Burda) stop around the equivalent of a men's XL AND are drafted for a slim, fitted look. Big-and-tall men don't generally want something that clings to a flabby mid-section any more than I do as a plus-sized woman. Thankfully, this is not the case with the Mr. HP t-shirt pattern. Cutting to the chase:

Things that I love about this pattern:

• Roomy fit through the mid-section. Not every guy is built like Daniel Craig, and the fit of this t-shirt is great for a guy in his mid-30's (like my husband) who has a bit of wear-and-tear on his body.
• The pattern includes both short and long-sleeved options and a v-neck and crew neck option.
• The shallow v-neck. I've been trying to steer DH towards more v-necks to update his look in recent years, but he regards the v-neck with suspicion. The v-neck on this t-shirt is shallow enough that he didn't have a problem with it. I finished the shirt on Friday, and he's worn it twice since then.
• The sleeves are nice and long on the long-sleeved view. I often have to add length to my husband's sleeves, but didn't have to with this pattern.
• Trudy's instructions for constructing said v-neck. I hadn't seen this method before, but it's easy and produces a really nice "V" (ignore the fabric bubble from over-pressing):
  
  

Here's the finished t-shirt (note that it's been graded up two sizes from the XXL). Yes, it's fresh out of the dryer and still wrinkled:

I made this first (test) version using cotton jersey (no lycra, but not an interlock) from fabric.com. The fabric had been marinating in my stash for probably a good four or five years (from the last time that I went on a t-shirt sewing binge for my husband--using a Kwik Sew pattern that time). I like this pattern better than that Kwik Sew; there was something a bit off about the armscye, and we had to fiddle with that a few times to get a comfortable fit. (Other reviewers noted this on PatternReview, as well.) The HP tee fit him comfortably without needing to futz with the armscye.

I am looking forward to updating my husband's t-shirt wardrobe with this pattern. I've already started on a version in a gray, ribbed merino wool (from my FabricMart merino wool-buying binge of a month ago). 

Finished Project: Simplicity 1505 Big and Tall Men & Husky Boys' Pajamas

Given the lack of men's patterns in general, and the nearly complete absence of any patterns for a man who wears larger than a 2X, I was really excited to see Simplicity come out with a new Big and Tall men's pajama pattern in their most recent collection (October 2013).

Not only do the men's sizes run from 1XL-5XL, the pattern actually uses the pieced/colorblock trend that we've been seeing for the past few years. And a v-neck! Imagine that, a Big and Tall pattern that's reasonably fashionable!

The pattern includes both the men's and boys' pattern pieces with views for pants or shorts. You can't really see it in the line drawing, but the pants/shorts have inseam pockets--a bonus when your husband never wants to be too far away from his phone.

My husband desperately needed new pajamas, since he'd pretty much destroyed the set that I made him last year (he's rough on clothes). For the pants, I used cotton flannel that I'd purchased from Fabric Mart's $3/yard sale last winter. For the shirt, I used coordinating cotton interlock that I'd had in my stash for years that I'd bought at fabric.com. (The interlock was purchased before I'd figured out how important lycra/recovery is in knit tops...but for a set of pajamas, I figured it really didn't matter.)

I actually finished these a couple of weeks ago (grabbing a few minutes here and there while working on my Red Velvet dresses). Here are the finished pajamas:

Sizing-wise, the sizes seem to run very true to RTW. I chose my husband's RTW sizes for both the pants and shirt, and they both have the roomy (but not huge) fit that most of us like to have in our pajamas. The pattern went together well, and other than a few quibbles that I had with the order of construction (repeat after me: It's easier to sew in-the-flat than in-the-round for many things...), the instructions were fine. Note: My husband is 6'2" (he has a VERY long torso), and I did not need to add any length to the shirt. The only other time that I haven't had to add length to a shirt of his was when I made up the now-out-of-print Simplicity 4957: Big and Tall Men's shirt for him.

I'm really happy that Simplicity included this pattern in their last release. Since they sunsetted the old 4975 shirt pattern, I've been hoping that they'd come out with an updated men's shirt. These pajamas might not be that shirt, but they are a nice option if you are a Big and Tall man or have a larger man in your life. It's really nice to be able to sew something right out of the envelope for my husband without having to grade up multiple sizes. Outside of the Islander patterns and the occasional McCall's that run up to an XXXL, I'm not aware of any other sewing patterns for men that go past an XXL. I read a lot of valid complaints from plus sized women about the lack of sewing pattern options out there, but larger guys have it even worse in that department.