T-shirts!

I always wanted to learn to sew with knits. I love dresses and blouses, but as I’ve mention before, what I wear almost everyday are pants and t-shirts. Thirty-something and still dressing like a teenager. I guess some people of our generation never grow up. Because this and because I don’t have a serger, I decided to join the Craftsy class Sewing with Knits by Meg McElwee. The class was clear and Meg explained the key concepts (and beyond) to sew with knits, and after a slow start, the rhythm improves. If you also decide to take it, bear in mind that not all the material is necessary, but the walking foot and the twin needle are a must.

What I wanted to make from this course was the v-neck t-shirt. I’m sure the dress will follow soon, but I always wanted to make that kind of t-shirt because it’s very flattering. I have an old t-shirt like that that is almost falling to pieces and this was the chance to replicate it.

I had a knit fabric that bought I don’t remember when in a sale in Vigo and I decide to use it for this project. The fabric is not super cool and it is on the thin side, but it has nice drape and a beautiful color.

After assembling the pieces of the pattern I cut an XS size, since my bust is 33 inches. Those pieces seemed large and very long to me, but I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions before finishing the garment. This was my first time sewing with knits and I didn’t want to make mistakes by hurrying into modifications.

I found that following the instructions of using a walking foot and lowering the foot pressure worked for me without adjustments. I didn’t have any issue and it went perfectly smooth. Many people had problems with the neck band in this version of the t-shirt, but I got it right the first time. What looks less nice is the back of the neck and the topstitching. That triple stretch stitch doesn’t look perfect and I think the fabric stretched out a bit. Next time I’ll just do a zig-zag or I’ll use the twin needle approach (I think it can look nice if you stitch in the ditch with the right needle).

Overall I’m pleased with the result, but it looks a little bit too loose for my liking, so I think next time I’ll make a size XXS. Something I did modify this time was that I cut 10 cm (4 inches) from the bottom, because it was long long long. I don’t have an especially short torso, so I guess either this is by design or Megan has a longer torso.

Just look at the t-shirt. The rest is awful. I didn’t have enough sleep last night and I look like a zombie. The hay fever is here again and my asthma inhalers keep me awake at night. And you don’t see it there, but I got a new rash on one of my arms. I love Spring!