inside: Download and sew this cute free shirt sewing pattern in a raglan style for women. Printable Pdf pattern and full photo tutorial. Pdf sewing patterns
I’ve been promising a womens raglan pattern for about a year now. My Kids Raglan Pattern is downloaded thousands of time each month and now I’m so excited to have a womens version! I’ve sewn myself three new shirts in the last few days and I LOVE them all. Below I mention all the different variations used to make these shirts and how you can create the same look. Please share all your makes in the FB group here.
Free Shirt Sewing Pattern – Womens Raglan
I was wearing this version below at dinner and my husband noticed I had a new shirt… This one mus really be eye catching because he isn’t really one to notice these things, but he said he really like this shirt… and I DO TO! And in waffle {sign} so so good! If you haven’t tried sewing with waffle yet this fall head over to my fall fabric post and GET SOME! I’m almost out so it’s time to re-stock!
You can see that I’ve made three shirts for myself in these photos. I’ve shown two different neckline and three different sleeve finishes {3/4 length, regular, and cuff} I also have shown the shirt with and without the side slit and the yellow waffle has the straight front, not curved hem. WHEW… and I love them all.
It’s amazing how much the fabric affects the fit.. when I lay this shirt below on top of the waffle version the widths seem the same, but the fit is quite different. I like them both, but just wanted to mention this fun fabric fact!
These two versions of the shirt have the side slit.. {I feel like I should call it something else, but not sure what…} Anyway, it adds a cute detail. I also have directions for a regular hem below.
Here are some fun photos from my testers!
M in french terry 
XL top with L sleeves XL graded to XXL in hips
Sew a Raglan Top-
Supplies needed:
- Fabric {see my fall fabric picks here} 1-1.5yards
- Print the Free Raglan Pattern
- 1 cm or 3/8″ seam allowance included
- sew all seams with serger/overlocker or knit stretch stitch/zig zag. {using a serger and need help? Take my Serger class HERE}
- Tips for sewing/hemming knit fabric here.
I felt like I had some trouble getting the length right, and we are all such different heights! I would recommend comparing the pattern pieces to a shirt you like the length and adjusting if needed…
Print and trim the pattern, then assemble. Here is the layout guide to help you with assembly.
Use this size chart to determine your size. You can size up or down depending on the look you want. {I would size up for sweaters or sweatshirts} Go by your waist and adjust the bust if you are over a C cup. {depending on your proportions}
The fit is similar to old navy if you are familiar with that. If you fall in between or at the bottom of a size I would size down, unless you want it pretty loose.
Cut out the pattern pieces and neckband as directed on pattern pieces. You should have two sleeves, one front, one back and a neckband. You can also choose to add sleeve cuffs {more directions below}. You have a few sleeve options and neckline options so read below for those before you start sewing.
The neckline on this raglan top sewing pattern is a high crew neck, but it’s easy to lower the neckline if you want. Compare the two necklines here:
To lower the neckline you can cut 1/2″ – 3/4″ from front and sleeve pattern piece before cutting. I usually don’t trim from the back.
OR.. you can cut from the neckline after you have sewed the the shirt body together. After the sleeves have been sewn to the front, and the back to one sleeve, I like to trim. I cut only a tiny bit from the back and more from the sleeves and front.
Another variation it to make a slight high-low hem. Cut the shirt front to be a straight line, rather than a curve. The side seam should stay the same length. This will make the front flat while the back will curve done.
Begin sewing by attaching the arm fronts to the shirt front. Then sew the back to one of the sleeves. You now should have all four pieces together, but open.
Take your neckband and fold in half with the long sides together. The right side of the fabric should be out. Measure your raglan neckline and make your band about 80-90% of this length.. ex… 20″ neck = 16 to 18″ neckband. Depending on the stretch of your fabric.
Need more help with the neck band? Here is my post all about shirt neckbands…
Top-stitch the neckline if desired. You can see on my shirt photos above that I did this on some, but not all. Up to you and your preference.
Sew up the other open shoulder seam from neckline to armpit. Now if you lay the shirt out it will actually look like a shirt, but the side seams are open.
I like to finish the arm hems on the flat, so this is when I hem the sleeves. Hem or add sleeve cuffs now. Your sleeves can be full- 3/4 or with a cuff. To add a cuff remove 1″ from the full sleeve length.
Now, if you want to make a shirt with the small slits on the side we will need to hem the bottom before sewing up the sides. If you just want a regular hem – skip ahead.
Hem both the front and back of your shirt with a 3/4″ hem.
Then, turn a small seam allowance to the backside of the front of the shirt on either side of the hem. I went up about 2″. Angle the fold over so its about 1/2″ at the hem to nothing about 2″ up. {see clips below} Sew this over with a stretch stitch or coverstitch. {both shown below} THEN after you have done this to both sides of the front and back of the shirt, sew down the side seams from the sleeve hem to bottom, stop at the top of your slit sewing. {if you used a serger make sure to finish you loose thread ends.}
What it should look like from the front side. Cute right?
If you opted to skip the side styling, just hem your shirt in the round.
I finish all my loose serger threads by pulling the thread ends back through the stitching with a darning needle. The makes everything look neat and prevents any unraveling.
Your shirt is now finished! Don’t you love it?? Sew with a variety of fabrics for different looks. Thanks for sewing this free shirt sewing pattern, please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Rhonda says
I just finished making this pattern. I liked the end result. I did, however, have to modify the sleeve as I had the same issue others did with the pattern pieces not matching along the sleeve seams. I adjusted the seam length on the sleeve front and sleeve back to match the front and back pattern pieces. This left me with a wider neck opening. I cut the sleeve pattern lengthwise down the center and overlapped the neck seam to match the original pattern. Now everything fits together as it should. I also had to shorten the sleeves significantly, like 3 inches. Don’t know why the sleeves are so long. I will make more of these because it’s an easy, quick sew. Great basic raglan t-shirt.