8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}

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the easy tee {simplest women’st-shirt ever}JULY 26, 2013 BY: AUTUMN 24 COMMENTS

****Free pattern added in size L! Find it in this

post***

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8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}

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I like easy sewing projects. I really like easy sewing

projects that can be completed in one naptime (I

always think through my to do list in how much of a

naptime each item will take). Today’s project is the

easiest t-shirt I know how to make. There are no

set in sleeves, just a front, back, neck band, and

hem band (and yes, adding a hem band is actually

easier than just hemming most stretchy fabrics).

We all know by now that I also like non-muffin-top-

revealing sewing projects, so this tee is cut to be

roomy around the middle, but it’s very easy to

customize for whatever fit you’d prefer. To make

your own easy tee, you’ll want to start with a cap

sleeve shirt that fits well so you can make your own

pattern, like this: Fold your shirt in half and lay it on

a large piece of paper (I use freezer paper because

I have a hugemongous roll of it and it’s pretty wide).

Trace a shape like the one you see below, using

your cap sleeve tee as a general guide. Note that I

added seam allowance along the top of the

shoulder and added a couple extra inches in length

and width. I also added plenty of extra room around

the sleeve opening. (My pattern is now available

in this post!)

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Cut your shirt pieces out of knit (stretchy) fabric.

One yard will probably be plenty since knit

generally comes 54 inches wide. I used this white

knit with gold dots from Girl Charlee. It’s quite thin

and fairly see through so I have to wear a tank

underneath, which is lame, but it’s also very pretty,

which is nice.

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Cut two of your pattern on the fold. You’ll want the

neckline of your front piece to scoop down a little

lower than the back piece (use your well-fitting tee

as a guide here).

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You’ll also want to cut two rectangles on the fold

just below your pattern pieces – they should be as

wide as the bottom of your shirt pieces and 4

inches tall. And finally you’ll also need one long

rectangle, 28 inches wide and 1.5 inches tall (it

should stretch along the width). Begin putting your

shirt together by laying the front and back pieces

RST and sewing across the shoulders. Oftentimes

knit tees have reinforced shoulders to keep that top

seam from getting all stretched out. I simply sewed

across the shoulders twice and that seams to be

sufficient for now – my fabric is so lightweight that

it’s not getting stretched out. (If you’re interested in

why/how to reinforce shoulders, check out this

post.)

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Next you’ll want to sew the side seams. When you

are sewing the curved area under the arms it’s a

good idea to give the fabric a pretty good stretch as

you sew, as this area will need to stretch when

you’re wearing the shirt. I sewed along the curve

twice as well. Press your seams open and try on

your shirt. If needed, take it in on the sides or cut a

lower front neckline. Once it fits well, hem the

sleeves by turning under 1/4 inch twice and sewing

with a slight zigzag or double needle. This can be

tricky if your knit is very stretchy. I found I had to

stabilize the armholes with a piece of paper under

the fabric as I sewed in order to get a nice looking

hem on the sleeves (and then I had to pick the

paper out of the zigzag afterwards). Next it’s time to

bind the neckline with your long rectangle piece,

which we’ll call ribbing. Measure around your shirt’s

neckline and subtract about 4 inches, then cut your

ribbing to that length (mine ended up being 24

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inches long and 1.5 inches tall).

Fold the ribbing in half lengthwise and press. Find

the middle of your ribbing and pin it to the middle of

the front neckline on the shirt, matching raw edges.

Pin ribbing around neckline, stretching the ribbing

slightly each time you pin. When you reach the

shoulders you’ll want to open up the short ends of

the ribbing and sew them together RST, then

continue pinning the ribbing to the back of the shirt.

Adjust if needed so the ribbing is evenly distributed

around the neckline. You’ll see that the shirt is

bunched up a little bit (photo 3), so when you start

to sew you’ll need to pull gently so the material lays

flat as it goes under your machine. Use a slight

zigzag here so the neckline has some give once it’s

sewn together. Press the neckline ribbing flat and

your shirt will look like this:

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Now, if you want, you could leave the bottom edge

of your shirt raw and unhemmed for a casual look. I

almost wish I’d done so – I kind of like how it looks

in this photo. You can also simply turn up the

bottom and hem, but getting a nice looking hem can

be very tricky with super stretchy fabrics (there are

lots of good tutorials out there though, so if you’d

prefer to just hem google hemming knits). I think it’s

easiest to just finish the bottom with a hem band.

Grab the last two pieces we cut out.

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Lay them RST and sew together along each short

edge as shown. Decide if you want them hem band

to hang past your hips or sit on top of them – I

wanted mine to sit on my hips so I took it in a few

inches. Then fold it in half lengthwise, right side

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out, and press. You can see in the 3rd photo here

that my shirt is now wider than my hem band. Slide

the hem band up over the shirt, matching up the

raw edges, and sew them together. If your shirt is

wider than your hem band, like mine, you’ll need to

pin it on and stretch slightly while sewing, just like

you did with the neck ribbing. Flip the hemband

down, press again, and your shirt is complete!