For years I have wanted a basic shirt pattern that I can make repeatedly, and this could be it. I do not like Kwik Sew's 6mm seam allowance but decided to live with it at first. For the first shirt, my only alteration was adding 4cm extra ease to the otherwise plain back so that the gathering could be a subtle design feature. For my second attempt, in a Liberty fabric called Cathryn's, I traced my own version on tissue paper and added a 115cm (5/8in) seam allowance as it is much easier to work with. I also lengthened the sleeves 2cm/1in to compensate for tightness across the back when flexing my arms. In the third - yellow - version I made the yoke wider at the sides so that the horizontal seam would be 2cm wider. This minor alteration has made a useful difference. The fourth version is in Liberty of London's Cathryn's again, this time in blue, green and purple.