T-shirts – the ultimate wardrobe essential for all seasons! Kasey has been busy sewing not one, but eight tees using the latest cotton/spandex knits. Keep reading for Kasey’s insights on the fabric plus sewing tips. Thanks, Kasey!
Roz added a new product this spring, knits in cotton/spandex. I’ve been meaning to make myself more tops to wear around the house; I tried buying some as an expedient last year, but they’re falling apart already – there’s a reason t-shirts from the “blue box store” are inexpensive! I purchased 7 and I’ve repaired each of them at least twice, some four times or more… for that kind of time I should just make my own! And they fit terrible to boot; crooked seams, cut off grain, one sleeve smaller than the other, constantly pulling down the front because it rides up… why do we buy these things?
Anyway, Roz added several more colors this summer, so I decided it was time and got one of each. I’m also trying out a new tee pattern – but not really a new one; I have a TNT knit top already, why was I thinking of spending time fitting a whole new pattern!? All I wanted was to try a new neckline, so I traced off that part of Kwik Sew 3766 (OOP) and traced the rest of my Blue Ginger Doll (OOP) Bonnie top. I shortened my usual 5/8 sleeve to a long short-sleeve, and tried half of them with the new neckline. I’m still working on that neckband application/ need three hands thing, but I think I’ve got it now.
First off, love the new fabric! It’s firm like ponté, but not as heavy so it feels better in summer weather. If your pattern is very close fitting, you might want to consider going up a half size to account for that. I washed it on warm for the initial pre-wash, and line dried – I’d like to treat these a little better than I usually do, which is in the dryer. Roz says not to heat-dry spandex knits for best results, but I have in the past. If this fabric holds up as well as the jersey and ponté knits, I’ll have them for years. (My first jersey tee was sewn in July of 2017 and is still going strong despite the dryer abuse….)
Word of warning: it is a very curly fabric; as you all know, the selvage will curl to the wrong/ back side, and the cut ends will curl to the right/ front side. I wanted to tell you to make your project without washing first, but this is 93% cotton, and there is shrink. While I didn’t verify beforehand, Roz is generous with her cuts so when I measured them all at 51 ½ inches afterwards, you know it’s from shrinkage! (I ordered 1 ½ yards of each fabric, for at least 54 inches to start.) Do please pre-shrink this knit if you’re going to wash it at home.
You can press it to help with the curlies, I even starched a sample (I use Mary Ellen’s Best Press) to see; it does help if it’s too curly after washing. But the pattern is very simple, and I assembled these on my serger so I didn’t have too much trouble with curl. I even got to hem them on my new top-coverstitch machine – and made one with a fancy hem! At least I’ll get to look nice vacuuming and doing dishes….
Don’t forget your stay tape and matching threads, which brings me to tip number 2: if you don’t get two spools of thread for your serger or coverstitch machine (because you forget things like I do), you can wind a bobbin and use it in the second needle position – it will work! But follow your machine manual for specific instructions. I only needed one spool for each top, even with the coverstitching, but if you have a large project or want to do lots of topstitching, I recommend two.
I’ve already re-ordered my favorite colors in cotton knit, so you’ll see more tops soon!
Wow! Love the array of t-shirts! Inspiring. Can’t wait to see them on Kasey. I don’t see why these will only be worn “around the house” — they should go forth and be seen by the general population.
Good blog! I too, like mass production!