How to sew a T-shirt from knit fabric?
Photo tutorial on how to sew a T-shirt from elastic knit fabric on an overlocker
My dear sewing ladies. Today I have a tutorial for you on how to sew a children's, or really any T-shirt, from elastic knit fabric on an overlocker.
In the photo tutorial, you will find the steps on what to sew first and what to sew last. The tutorial will help you if you are just starting out and want to achieve a nice and professional result.
1. Cutting the knit fabric
Before the actual sewing, you need to prepare and cut the pieces that you will need for sewing the T-shirt. For the sewing itself, we chose a simple single jersey knit fabric with 95% cotton and 5% elastane. This knit fabric stretches widthwise, and less lengthwise.
First, correctly position the pattern and then cut out the individual pieces. You can try a children's T-shirt pattern from me. The Levi T-shirt is ideal for beginners.
If you don't yet know how to correctly position a pattern on fabric and then cut it, I definitely recommend my Online Course for Beginners, where I dedicate an entire block of the course to this topic.
2. Sewing the shoulder seams
Once you have all the T-shirt pieces cut from the fabric, take the front and back pieces and place them right sides together. The right side of the fabric is where the pattern is, if the fabric is patterned. If your fabric has no pattern and is solid colored, the right side is usually the smoother, nicer side. I also explain how to tell the right and wrong side in my Online Sewing Course for Beginners.
The first step is to sew the shoulder seams. These are the seams that lie directly on your shoulder when you wear a T-shirt. That's why they are called shoulder seams.
We sew on an overlocker. Set your overlocker for knit fabrics. The ideal tension setting is one where your stitch stretches sufficiently and does not break when pulled.
The next step is setting in the sleeves. A common mistake with sleeves is incorrectly positioning and pinning the sleeve into the armhole. By armhole, I mean the opening where the sleeve goes. It's good to remember this term.
The key to a properly set-in sleeve is to pin it correctly into the opening. For a sleeve that doesn't have a distinct front and back, pinning will be easy. Just fold the sleeve in half and mark the center on the sleeve head (the rounded part of the sleeve). Then secure it with a pin at the center of the shoulder seam.
4. Side seam sewing
Once you have the sleeves sewn in and they fit well into the armhole, you can prepare the T-shirt for sewing the side seams. We will sew again on the overlocker.
First, pin the armhole seams sewn to the sleeves together. I show the spot that needs to be secured against shifting in the photo. At this point, you want the seam to be perfectly aligned.
Also, pin the ends of the sleeves together, and then you can start sewing from the bottom of the T-shirt towards the sleeve on the overlocker. No need for too much trimming. Make sure the stitch is straight, and if necessary, sew slower over the seams. Don't rush.
I recommend these T-shirt patterns
Julio blouse pattern - muslins
86 - 134
Light blouse for children made of muslin, linen, cotton.
5. Neckband
Prepare the neckband. You can sew it simply by folding a strip of elastic rib knit measured to the exact length of the neckband (you can find out how to measure the neckband here in the video - no calculations or measurements needed).
I always use a rib knit width of 4 or 5 cm for the neckband. If the opening is smaller, I use a narrower neckband. But the minimum is a 3 cm wide rib knit. You need to consider that the seams will take at least 1.4 cm from the total width. That's a total of two seams on each side, each measuring 0.7 on an overlocker. This is usually the most common stitch width for overlockers.6. Sewing the cuff into the sleeve
So now it will depend on whether you have a short sleeve or a long sleeve. This mainly matters because a long sleeve usually has a smaller opening, which needs to be pushed under the presser foot, making it a bit harder to sew. A short sleeve has a larger opening for hemming with a strip, by half, and fits better under the presser foot.
Again, cut the strip so that it stretches widthwise, just like with the neckband. I recommend choosing the same width as the neckband. This makes it look much better and more consistent optically.
The cuff on the sleeve should follow the width of the sleeve. It should not narrow too much. Otherwise, it might press on the arm or wrist.
Sew the cuff on the short side and, as shown in the picture, prepare it for both sleeve openings. Overlock around the entire circumference.
7. Securing the seam to prevent twisting
Once you have both cuffs sewn into the sleeve, it's a good idea to secure them so that the seam doesn't turn outwards. The seam will do this if you don't secure it with a straight stitch so that it lies firmly against the fabric.
I recommend securing it with a regular sewing machine. And since you're sewing with knits, definitely use elastic threads. I recommend Mettler Seraflex elastic threads. These are elastic and won't break if pulled or subjected to excessive tension.
The securing stitch is sewn about 0.2 to 0.3 cm from the seam, or directly on the seam. This prevents it from turning outwards. Do the same for the neckline.
8. Bottom hem
And we're almost at the end of sewing the T-shirt on the overlocker. Hem the T-shirt at the bottom edge as well, which is still unfinished. We have hems on the sleeves. Cut the same hem for the bottom part of the T-shirt. You can measure the length of the hem by measuring the total length of the bottom hem on the front piece. Multiply by 2 and then subtract 1.4 cm from each side. So, total length minus 2.8 cm.
The bottom hem can be even a little shorter. It's not a problem if it slightly pulls the T-shirt.
Make sure to cut the hem so that it stretches widthwise. You can choose a width of 5 to 8 cm. Wider hems are nice and visually lengthen the T-shirt. They also extend the wearing time for children.
Then, sew the hem on the short side, fold it in half, and turn it right side out. I place the seam to the side, next to the side seam. It's less noticeable then. Sew all around on the overlocker.
Done!
And that's it. The T-shirt is finished and complete. Now you can decorate it with an appliqué.
I definitely recommend playing with matching the colors of the ribbing on the T-shirt. What is ribbing? Ribbing is an elastic fabric, also known as Ribb, Cuffs. It is very flexible and therefore serves nicely and comfortably for hemming not only the neckline.
