Everyone should be looking dapper this Father’s Day — dads, sons, and pups included! Today I’m going to walk you through creating the perfect curved hem on that button up shirt you’re gifting this Sunday. I also included a free sewing pattern to make a matching tie or bow tie! (You can even make it adjustable, so it can fit everyone — even adorable dogs.)

Fabrics & materials used:

• 2 yard Kentucky Blue Cotton Jacquard Shirting
• 1 yard White Water Jet Loom Fusible Lining
• 11 Italian Silver Basketwoven Metal Buttons – 24L
• Simplicity Men’s Shirt Pattern 1544
• Bow Tie Set
• Free Tie & Bow Tie Pattern

Click here to download your free pattern!

The best thing about Simplicity patterns is that they’re incredibly easy to follow. Unfortunately, no matter how streamlined a pattern is, there can always be some tricky parts. In this case, it’s the curved hem of the shirt. If you’re like me, you’ve struggled with curved hems before. There’s just a little too much fabric — how do you keep the hem smooth? Luckily, there are some tricks!

First, baste along the curve with the widest possible stitch length. Gather the fabric just slightly, like you see above.

Fold your fabric up, along the baste stitching, making sure to keep the gathers evenly spaced. Lastly, fold your fabric up a second time, press, and edge-stitch with a normal stitch length. The evenly gathered fabric should now be tucked inside your hem, leaving the remainder of the fabric smooth. No more warped curves!

Again, the pattern is pretty simple. In fact, it even lends itself to alterations fairly well. For this shirt, I chose to use both sides of the fabric for some contrast. (How have I never thought to use a jacquard shirting before? It’s so cool!) Last year, I tried the same pattern for Father’s Day and chose to make it short sleeved.

For Skippy’s bow tie, I followed a pattern I created last fall. You can find the instructions right over here! I only made one alteration for this version. Rather than sew the center seam, I chose to keep the bow tie in two pieces. I then attached each end to the bow tie kit, making it adjustable. Now it can fit dads and small dogs alike!