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8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2013/7/26/the-easy-tee-simplest-womens-t-shirt-ever.html 1/10
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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***
1K+
8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2013/7/26/the-easy-tee-simplest-womens-t-shirt-ever.html 2/10
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!)
8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
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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.
8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
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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).
8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
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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.)
8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
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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
8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
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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:
8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
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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.
8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
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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
8/4/2014 the easy tee {beginner sewing tutorial for women - t-shirt}
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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!