The Shirt You’ll Live In
August 28, 2026
Stonemountain staff wear button-up shirts
from our 2025 Stonemountain Spotlights
Button-up shirts are perfect for year-round wear: either on their own, over tanks and tees, or layered under sweaters. While the shirt-making process involves lots of careful cutting, pinning, and sewing, it’s a great skill-building project for sewists of all skill levels, and it’s so satisfying to make a button-up shirt that fits you perfectly. Now is the perfect time to start working on one to wear this fall!
We are really into button-ups at Stonemountain & Daughter! Last year we did a Stonemountain Spotlight featuring button-up shirts, and it went so well that a few months later we did another one (check out our blog posts for details!). It was exciting to see what everyone made for our Spotlights, and it’s been fun seeing that many of our staff members have continued sewing button-ups since then. We hope this will inspire you to create one of your own!
what makes a button-up?
A popular garment for generations, the button-up shirt remains a staple of the contemporary wardrobe. This garment is worn all over the world, by people of different genders, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It’s an enduring style that can be made in a sturdy cotton/polyester twill for workwear uniforms, or in fine fabrics like silk for special occasions.
pick a pattern
We have a nice selection of button-up shirt patterns available in the shop! While most button-up patterns will have similar elements, it is worth taking a look at each pattern’s features to find your best match. The Butano Button Upis available in a great size range, features two sleeve length options, and includes a pattern for a matching tie. Patterns like the Jenna Shirt and the Florence Shirt include shirt and shirtdress variations for even more flexibility.
The Oversized Shirt (a favorite of the Stonemountain staff!) lets you play with the proportions of a classic button-up, adding lots of length and fullness. The Vernon Shirt was designed specifically to fit larger busts (hooray!) and features some lovely collar, sleeve, and cuff options. The Archer Button Upappears to be a classic button-up, but also includes a variation with a gathered back for a look that’s just a bit different.
fabric inspiration
While shirting is a popular fabric choice for button-up shirts, there are so manyamazing fabrics in our collection that will work wonderfully! Any woven fabric will work, but cotton wovens are a great place to start since they are stable, breathable, and easy to sew, wear, and care for. Look for fabrics in the light- to midweight range (about 1–7 ounces per square yard) like cotton block prints, yarn-dyes, dobby, oxford, sheeting, lawn, flannel, and more! Here are just a few of the fabrics in our collection that would make incredible button-up shirts:
shop the photo
shop the photo
shop the photo
There’s something about a handmade button-up shirt that feels like a real sewing accomplishment. Yes, there are collars and cuffs and buttonholes involved (and perhaps a little conversation with your sewing machine along the way!), but take it one step at a time and suddenly you’ve made a beautifully finished shirt that actually fits you. Better yet, it’s the kind of garment you’ll wear constantly—open over a tee while the weather is warm, buttoned up on its own, and layered under one of those fall jackets we’ve been dreaming about.
And this is where fabric can completely change the story. A crisp cotton shirting makes a classic button-up, while yarn-dyed cotton, Japanese dobby, gingham, block print, flannel, linen, or a colorful novelty print can turn the very same sewing pattern into something entirely your own. At Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics, we carefully choose high-quality apparel fabrics that are worthy of the time you’re putting into your sewing. We want your handmade shirts to be worn, washed, softened, loved, and pulled out of the closet season after season—and maybe inspire you to make another one. (Button-ups do have a way of multiplying!)
As we head into fall sewing, we’re thinking more and more about building a handmade wardrobe from pieces that work together: great everyday basics, a favorite button-up shirt, pants you love to wear, and that just-right jacket layered on top. Choose an indie sewing pattern that fits your style, find a fabric that makes you excited to cut into it, and enjoy all those little details that make shirt sewing so satisfying. Your time and creativity are valuable—choose fabric worthy of every stitch, and make something you’ll be proud to say you made yourself.
Thank You and Happy Sewing!