Hazel Alekmond Batemans Shirt

I pattern tested the Batesman Shirt by Hazel Alekmond and featured here are 2 of the shirts I made - the train one was my first shirt and the dinosaur, my second. 

Hazel Alekmond is a relatively new pattern company. In fact, I hadn't heard of it till I applied for their test. It excited me to see that this Batemans pattern had so many different options. 

I copied this from their website:

Batemans PDF Pattern includes:
• Children's sizes 2T-14Y
• 3 Hem styles (curved, straight & drop back)
• 4 Collars (mandarin, wingtip, pointed & club)
• Includes separate placket pieces to create truly unique shirt features
• 2 pockets (round & pointed)
• 2 Sleeve lengths (simple short & cuffed long)
• Fully enclosed seams using the Burrito Method & French Seams (Simple quick sew included)

BONUS Batemans Adjustment Tutorial includes:
• Blending sizes
• Adjusting the length
• Creating bubble & simple sleeves
• Adding button tabs
• Back waist darts

• Side splits

So many options! Can you see why I was excited?

 

What I liked about this pattern was the fact that I can make a variety of shirts (but I really only want to make the short sleeved, club collar because that is the only kind my boy wants to wear) That said, it is always good to have varieties cos the boy is growing up and he will have other likes! 

Another good thing about this pattern is the inclusion of instructions and pattern pieces that allows us to upcycle dad's old shirts. That way, we can easily create new shirts at a fraction of the time needed to sew one from scratch! Win! 

Full disclosure though, one thing that made me a bit concerned initially was the fact that the sleeves were cut on fold. Yes. Woven Shirt Sleeves On FOLD. The warning bells went up for sure. I was worried about whether the sleeves wld fit properly. But turns out, it did fit. Quite decently I might add. Afterall, the boy did cycle while wearing this shirt! 

The key to it was the gathering of the sleeves just enough for it to fit nicely into the armscye without showing actual gathers that may make it look more like a girly pattern. The result was a rather handsome looking top with sleeves that had a decent amount of movement for the boy.

The only other boy shirt pattern I own is the Winter Wear design Collared Tee and Dress Pattern. Let's discuss the differences. 

There are less options for the Winter Wear's version for a shirt - there's really just the mandarin collar and club collar and of course the short and long sleeve lengths. However, the Winter Wear one does come with both shirt and dress patterns which is very useful for parents with kids who wear dresses and shirts. The sleeves for Winter Wear's version is asymmetrical for front and back and so the ease is good on the sleeves too. 

So then which do I recommend?

I like both patterns and still want to continue to use both for making shirts. But I plan to use them differently. I use Winter Wear's one when I want the cute hem, and lovely broad shoulder fit that I know works very well with my boy. I use the Batemans when I want to upcycle old shirts because it is simply easier.  

Thank you for your time!