The sewing world is officially BLOWING UP with henleys right now.  It’s crazy.  The genius part about it is that they are all so very different, so the market may be full of options but that is a good thing.  No.  It’s a great thing.

Of course, I jumped at the chance to try out Patterns for Pirates’ version.  Because I love how Judy’s patterns fit me and Louis.  AND because she released the shirts for the entire family!  Youth, womens and mens!  Can I get a whoop whoop?

Like all P4P patterns, they are insanely full of options.  Long/three-quarter/short sleeves, hemmed/cuffed/thumbhole cuffs, placket or no placket, hood, curved/banded/hemmed bottoms, tunic/shirt lengths…..SO MANY OPTIONS!

I happened to have a ton of red, black and white fabrics.  And the patterns are for pirates.  And Louis’ birthday party last year was pirate themed.  So it was basically the perfect storm and I couldn’t resist.  This happened.

Let’s talk about that handsome husband of mine first.  Bennett has a super long torso (Louis has also inherited this from him) and a lot of shirts don’t fit him well.  They’re either the right length and too wide, or the perfect width and too short. Like, belly shirt short.

Which might be your thing, I don’t judge.  It’s just not Bennett’s thing.
So being able to sew him something that *actually* fits him is kind of a blessing.

Now, because I was a tester on this shirt, the final product is slightly different.  Judy ended up taking up the shoulder seam a little bit so it hits higher…but otherwise, the body stayed the same.  The henley placket is a fun addition to a shirt.  Especially something with a pattern because it helps break it up a little bit.  Bennett has worn this shirt twice since I made it…so I think we’ve got a winner here.

For Louis, I also chose to do the henley version.  It’s too cute not to!!  I believe that the final version of this shirt is actually a tad longer…but even at this length it fits him pretty well.  I’m excited to make more for the kiddo.

Ps…he’s totally wearing some P4P Cpt. Comfy Jeans (upcycled from Daddy’s old cords!) in these pictures.  Kiddo is pretty much always dressed in some sort of Patterns for Pirates clothes.

For my shirt, I opted to test with a regular tshirt collar.  Let me tell you, this might be my favorite fit of a shirt ever.  I’ll end up making one with a placket for myself, I’m sure…but it’s totally the bomb dot com (people still say that, right??!) for a regular tee.

The neckline falls just a tad higher than the Layer Me Up but lower than something like the Women’s Raglan.  It’s actually at a perfect level for me.  No joke, I’ve already made four shirts out of this pattern…and I keep washing them so I can wear them again.  The fit is my favorite so far!

Fun fact!  Our dorky family photo was so well received that it was used as the cover image for the Henley Bundle.  Woot!  So…if you want ALL THREE patterns, you will totally get to see the McKinley mugs on the cover of your pattern.

And now here comes a ton of links for you!
Henley Bundle Pack [HERE]
YoHo Youth Henley [HERE]
Women’s Henley [HERE]
Men’s Henley [HERE]

Patterns for Pirates Shop/Blog [HERE]
Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group [HERE]