Swim Shirt Sew-along

We are going to be somewhere warm and sunny for a week and I fear we will get too much sun. In Oregon, it seems there could be no such thing as too much sun. So for our trip, swim shirts are needed. Without them, I think we may be in trouble–we’re not used to so much sun and warmth.

I used an Otto Raglan tee pattern, which is basically what most rash guards or swim shirts are. This one has a lower neckline than most rash guards, but my dd doesn’t like the way rash guards fit so high up on her neck. Farbenmix makes a great raglan pattern, Zoe, which I know others have used for this purpose. I plan to use it for my son.

Here are some tips to get started with:
Size down if you want it to fit snugly.
Use wooly nylon in the loopers and regular serger thread in the needle if using a serger.
3-thread overlock stitch for serging seams.

Stretch needles 🙂 in all machines

If using a traditional machine:
sew seams with a narrow zigzag and medium length
sew hems with a medium zigzag and medium length, or stretch twin needle

Sew the sleeves to the bodice front and the bodice back

Add a neckline binding–I made it a bit bigger than I normally do, so it would stand up taller.

Sew side seams

Hem sleeves and bottom edge (I used the twin needle)

Done and done 🙂

She’s all set. She has 2 swimsuits with matching rash guard swim shirts. I just now need to get the rest of the family set up.

~Erin

How to Draft a Swim Skirt Cover Up

Sew a swim skirt in a half hour? When people say, “Oh, that project takes a half hour,” I never believe them. Well, because it usually takes me longer. Maybe if I made several, the time would be shortened. For that reason, I always hesitate to tell people how long the projects should take. It’s so relative to the sewist. Having said that, this project will take so little time it’s ridiculous. –about a half hour, I think. Even drafting the pattern is super quick.

This style is also easy fitting. Here’s how you could draft your own pattern if you don’t have one.

Start by drawing a fold line on one end of the paper or tracing paper.

Measure the person’s hip or waist (the place where the top of the wrap skirt will sit). Divide in half and Subtract 1 to 2 inches for negative ease. This is what this skirt has, but I will make this again when my fabric arrives next week and draft it a bit wider to see if it covers more.

Draw the waist cutting line: so my daughter’s waist is 26 and I drew a very slight curved line for 10+ inches. (which is essentially 26/2=13; 13-2=11).

The line then begins to slope up fairly sharply- draw the line upward for another 10 inches or so, using a french curve to draw and measure– though it’s not very curved.

The next line a draw is the tie ends, rounding the end and sloping away gradually from the top slope line of the waist edge.

Before you slope all the way down, mark how long you want the skirt to be and angle the line to meet that length. It should reach that length right below where the top line began its slope upward.

Draw the rest of the bottom edge cutting line, slightly rounded. Again a french curve ruler is your friend here.

Use this pattern to cut out your fabric. Remember to place the fold line on the pattern along the fold of the fabric, and so the greatest amount of stretch will be the width of the skirt.

There are many ways to finish the skirt: rolled hem using the serger and wooly thread in the loopers, a lettuce edge using the serger, twin needle, or a zigzag stitch on a regular sewing machine.

Here’s how I did it. I serged the raw edges.

I folded the edges over toward the wrong side of the fabric and used a zigzag stitch–mainly because it matched the way I finished the matching swimsuit.

The end 😉

She’s liking it very much. I’m thinking I should have made it a bit longer (she chose the length) and perhaps just a tad wider. I hope you enjoy the tutorial and make some fun and easy cover ups to wear out in the sun 🙂
~Erin

How to Serge over Elastic

Good question! I serge over elastic a lot in both my projects and in my tutorials, but I don’t focus all that much on what that looks like. Here’s a tutorial to shoe how I sew elastic onto my projects with a serger.

3 thread overlock or 4:

3 thread overlock. It allows for more stretch.

What needle to use in the serger?

I use stretch needles.

To disengage the knife or not. I do it both ways, depending on the project. When I first started doing this technique, I always disengaged the knife. As I got familiar and more comfortable with the technique, I attempted the trimming as I serge.

It’s good to trim the fabric whenever serging. so when the project is more manageable, like yoga pants, I cut away a slight amount, but am careful to not trim the elastic. You will need to keep the edge of the elastic in a bit from the edge of the fabric.

I disengage when the project is fiddly, difficult to control while serging (like slippery fabric or a small area like a small person’s sleeve). Without the knife cutting away, you can keep the edge of the elastic right along the edge of the fabric.

Use wooly nylon thread in loopers or not.

I use wooly nylon thread in the loopers when I sew: Swimwear, underwear, camis, and compression shorts/shirts. In other words, I usually use wooly nylon when the garment is close fitting and the serger threads will be right against the skin. The wooly nylon makes it more comfortable–it’s super soft and gives the seams a bit more stretch.

I don’t use wooly nylon in the loopers when I sew: cotton lycra clothing, like shirts, shorts, yoga pants, etc. I don’t use it when I sew woven cotton, poplin, seersucker, jersey knit, cotton interlock, or sweatshirt fabric. I never use wooly nylon for loose fitting clothing or clothing that won’t be right against the skin.

UPDATE: Just a reminder, you use regular serger thread in the needle(s). You never use wooly nylon thread for the needles, only in the loopers.

Here are some photos I took for a quick how-to sewing elastic in the round with wooly nylon.
Machine is set up: 3-thread overlock, using a stretch needle. I am sewing in the round, and I have pinned the elastic to the fabric at the quarter points (fourths).

Begin an inch from the first pin. Place the fabric under the presser foot and angle the fabric toward the presser foot.

Begin serging and straighten the fabric out as the serger starts sewing the fabric and elastic.

If using the knife to trim the fabric as you sew, then make sure the elastic is a bit off the edge of the fabric:

Stop and remove the pin. Hold the fabric behind the presser foot and also in front of the presser foot at the next pin, stretching elastic to fit the area. Try to keep the edge of the elastic even with the edge of the fabric (or keep the fabric an even distance from the edge of the elastic if the knife is engaged and you’re trimming as you serge). Sometimes I need to hold in front of the next pin to be able to keep the edges even, especially on curved edges.

Serge until presser foot reaches the next pin, keeping the elastic stretched, of course.

Remove the pin and readjust your hold to stretch the elastic to fit the next section.

Serge until you reach the beginning point. At which, you will sew past for an inch or sew. Serge off the edge. (please overlook how bad this photo is)

Trim threads. The wooly nylon threads will be soft on the skin, which is ideal if serging elastic onto underwear or swimsuits.

I hope this tutorial helps. Let me know if you have any questions that it didn’t answer for you.
~Erin

Classic T-shirt Sleeve Hem

The last method I used for this round of T-shirts is the traditional sleeve style, using a stretch twin needle. This is quick and gives the shirt a non-homemade look. Can you tell that is something we care about around here?

Using the twin needle (sometimes called double needle) to hem knits is super quick and extremely simple. Here are some helpful tips:

✿ Just make sure you are set up correctly–or it can be very frustrating and expensive, as the needles will break. Check out my extensive photo tutorial for threading your machine with a twin needle here.

✿ Make sure you have a stretch twin needle–it has the blue bar above the needles.

✿ Choose the needle width that is best for your fabric or project. 4,0/75 size for medium or heavy weight knits (also for lined garments), a 2,5/75 stretch twin needle works on light weight knit fabrics to avoid tunneling (see the end of this post for examples).

✿ Do not back stitch. To secure your stitches, sew past the point at which you began sewing–about an inch or two will do.

✿ Set your machine to a straight stitch and a long stitch length. I set my machine at a 4 stitch length for light and medium weight knits and a 4.5-5 stitch length for heavier fabrics. I also set it at a 4.5 or 5 stitch length when I sew over elastic, like when I sew puffy sleeves or swimsuits.

✿ When hemming with the twin needle:

✿ Press the hem first. Use an EZY-Hem or sewing gauge to keep it accurate.

✿ Sew the hem with the right side of the fabric facing up (I begin sewing along the back, so the overlapped stitching is in the back of my project).

✿ Sew with the left needle directly on the raw edge (you won’t be able to see this raw edge, but can feel it as you guide your fabric). The closer you are to enclosing the raw edge within the zigzag stitch on the wrong side of your project, the less rolling and flipping your finished hem will do. This takes practice. I like to fold and press 3/8″ for my hems, and line up the fold in the fabric along the 3/8″ seam allowance guide line on my machine.

✿ After sewing the hem, trim any extra fabric (raw edge) close to the stitching on the inside of your project.

I used this method on the sleeves of a couple of the t-shirts I recently sewed. I also hemmed all the shirts with this method. A nice, fast way to finish and looks good, too.

Here’s a look at what I’ve got on the chopping block. My daughter also prefers the way handmade feels and looks, so this one is for her. What’s on your cutting table?

Happy Sewing!
~Erin

Sewing T-shirts Tutorial: puffy sleeves with elastic

Up next in my tee variations: the puffy sleeve tee. Puffy sleeve tees are super fun and elastic in the hem makes a great finish. It’s pretty tricky to make a casing on some knit fabrics and have it look professional. This method is really quite simple and gives it a store bought look. I mean, who wants to wear clothes that scream “my mom made it” ?? –that wouldn’t be awkward at all.

To do this method: After the sleeves have been sewn on and side seams sewn, cut 2 pieces of elastic 1 to 1 1/2 inch bigger than the arm circumference of the person who will be wearing the puffy sleeve tee.

*If you want the sleeve to fit snugly, then only add 1/2 inch to the circumference measurement for the seam allowances. We always like a little room and don’t like it to fit tightly.

Sew the elastic pieces into loops, making sure they are not twisted.

Mark both the elastic pieces and sleeve into quarters (4 equal parts).

Pin the elastic to the wrong side of the sleeve, matching the quarter points together.

Sew the elastic in place with a serger. Keep the edge of the elastic lined up with the raw edge of the fabric and stretch the elastic in between the pins to fit that section. Holding the elastic stretched, sew close to the raw edge. Make sure to remove the pins as they near the presser foot and readjust your grip on the fabric/elastic. Keeping the elastic stretched to fit the fabric in each quarter of the sleeve helps it to be sewn and gathered evenly to the sleeve.

Fold the elastic to the inside, so that it is now covered by fabric on both sides. Use a twin needle to sew the fabric to the elastic, thus covering the elastic. Working with the right side of the fabric facing up, stretch the elastic as you sew. Remember to use a long straight stitch with a stretch twin needle for best results. Don’t back stitch when you sew with the twin needle– instead sew past the point where where you began sewing. See this post for twin needle set up, and my yoga pants or swim skirt sew along for more help.

You can also use a zigzag stitch with a traditional sewing machine to sew the elastic to the sleeves and top stitch.

Trim any long threads and the sleeves are done.

These puffy sleeves work well with both the light weight cotton jersey knit fabrics as well as cotton lycra and interlocks. It does seem easier to do on the light weight jersy knit, like this rose floral print I used for the example. Questions? Clarification? please ask away 🙂 This method gives t-shirts a very finished and professional look, and it’s very durable as well. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.

~Erin

Ringer Tee Sewing Tutorial

A seventies style at its finest, the ringer tee is easy to make from any t-shirt pattern. I’ve done this technique for myself and my kids, using Jalie, KwikSew, and Ottobre. The example tee is an Ottobre pattern from 2/2007.

You can see how I sew the neckline binding here. Sew the sleeve and side seams. For the sleeves, I use pretty much the same technique.

1. Cut a strip of ribbing (I sometimes use cotton lycra instead of ribbing). I cut mine1 3/8″ wide. Make sure the binding is straight on the grain–if it’s not, then it will not work as well; it may twist and get all wonky. The length should be the arm circumference plus 1 to 2″.

2. Fold and press the binding in half lengthwise. Unfold and sew the ends together to form loops.

3. Press seam allowances open and re-press the lengthwise folds.

4. Divide the bindings into 4 equal parts and mark with pins or with a fabric marker. Divide and mark the sleeve into 4 equal parts (quarters).

5. Pin the binding to the sleeves at these quarter points, right sides together. The binding should be slightly smaller in circumference than the sleeve.

6. Sew together with a 3/8″ seam allowance, keeping the raw edges together and stretching the binding to fit each section. Remember to remove pins when they approach the presser foot, and be careful to only stretch the binding, not the sleeve fabric.

7. Serge the seam allowances.

8. With an iron, press the seam allowances toward the sleeve. Use a stretch twin needle to top stitch the binding and sleeve. While the twin needle is still set up, hem the shirt.

Your sweet ringer tee is done. The stretch twin needle is a great way to give your knits a polished look. It’s easy to use, too. For more help setting up your machine for sewing with a twin needle, look at this post. If the machine is not threaded properly, you may end up with a lot of broken threads and/or needles.

Enjoy!
~Erin

Sewing a T-shirt or Two

Yes, I sew my own t-shirts. Sewing T-shirts is actually one of the fastest projects I regularly do. It’s no secret around here that I live in t-shirts and jeans (and shorts during our few warm months).
Recently, I lamented that I have too much sewing to do before we leave for our family vacation in July. My adorable husband says: “why not buy some of what you need? go shopping.” I would, but my favorite shirts, the shirts I wear most often, are the ones I make myself. There’s several reasons for this–
I can make the styles I like, in the colors/fabric that I like, and
I can make sure it fits me, instead of settling for the average small, medium, or large woman sizing
I know they won’t shrink funky, wonky, or otherwise misshapen.

T-shirts are super easy to make. The neckline is the trickiest part, but once you’ve done it a couple of times–it’s not so tricky. (make sure you use stretch needles in both traditional machine and serger, and a stretch twin needle)

Like many people, I don’t want to wear the same shirt in a few different colors day after day–I want each shirt to look unique. I feel a teeny bit more stylish that way. (okay, I know. T-shirts everyday can hardly be considered uber stylish, but whatever.) Changing up the neckline can help to give each shirt its own style and personality.

These shirts are made from an Ottobre pattern, issue 2/2007, which has several neckline and sleeve variations to mix and match. I love these T-shirts. The fit is awesome. I don’t follow Ottobre’s instructions for binding the neckline. I always sew my neckline bindings in the round. And I like to switch it up. I usually do different necklines based on the fabric I’m using. So first I sew all the shoulder seams. Then sew each neckline up until its final top stitching step. That way I can set up my machine with a twin needle and finish all necklines at the same time. Saves a little time 🙂

The pink with white binding is a cotton lycra, and I did a traditional t-shirt binding. I think Threads Magazine has the best tutorial on how to do a neckline binding like this in the round. There’s no point to doing another tutorial when this one is pretty much all you need. After sewing the binding on, make sure you press the neckline really well.

When the fabric is a lighter weight jersey, like this blue floral, I like to do a self-binding type neckline. It’s super easy, somewhat easier than the traditional T-shirt binding. I also do this in the round, usually using the measurement provided by the pattern. If the pattern does not offer the measurement, then I use the Threads magazine method for determining the length of the binding. After sewing the binding into a loop, I quarter both the neck opening and binding (also shown in the Threads method), pin right sides together and sew the binding to neck opening with my traditional sewing machine. I then serge the seam.

Press the binding to the inside, wrapping it around the seam allowance. I pin it in place to help it stay neat and uniform all the way around. (just be sure to remove the pins as you top stitch–do not sew over pins. Well, unless you wear safety goggles, and don’t mind getting your machine repaired 😉 )

The white shirt uses the technique Ottobre included for one of the neckline versions in that issue. (Though I did it in the round, not in the flat as they instructed)

1. Cut some poplin on the bias. I cut my bias strip and trimmed it to about 3/8″ wide

2. Press and curve the bias strip, to make it follow the neckline more easily. Pin the wrong side of the bias strip to the right side of the neckline. Baste it in place. Since I am sewing it in the round, I overlapped the binding strip an inch or so in the back.

All these will get top stitched with a twin needle, so I usually save this step to do all the shirts at once.

For the traditional binding: One stitching line is on the shirt, and the other row of stitching is on the binding.

For the fold and sew method: Both stitching lines are on the binding. Instead of pins, you could use wonder tape. It washes out and keeps things pretty much where you want them to stay when sewing. It does get a bit expensive, so I use pins and remove them as I sew (do not sew over pins). After sewing the binding with the stretch twin needle, trim any extra fabric on the inside, being careful not to cut your stitches.

Click on this photo for a close up:

The white with floral poplin binding is top stitched down the middle of the poplin bias strip with the twin needle, and left to fray. I usually like things more finished looking, but I like the idea of it. So I gave it a go.

Update: this is what the fraying effect looks like (click on the photo for a close up view):

Now all the shirts have a neckline, giving each its own look, I’ll continue with the sleeves, side seams, and hems (both on the sleeves and bottom edges). The sleeves are another way to individualize each shirt, so no one knows I’m basically using the same pattern for all these shirts.

What are your go-to t-shirt patterns? I would love to add some to my sick hoarding pattern obsession lovely pattern stash.
~Erin