Hi my name is Meg and I'm the editor here at Seamwork. I want you to think about your
favorite t-shirt, the one you wear all the time because it fits you so well. Wouldn't you love
to have a pattern for that shirt? In this video tutorial I'm going to show you how to trace your
favorite t-shirt so that you can sew it over and over again in any color that you'd like.
Just a note, this is not professional pattern making. I am not a pattern maker, I'm the editor. I
know more about putting together Seamwork magazine than I do about drafting Seamwork patterns,
but I love sewing with knits and I have used this method to trace a bunch of t-shirts.
If you enjoy this project you can enroll in a pattern making class or even grab a pattern
making book and that way you can practice some official pattern making techniques.
And finally, please keep in mind that this tutorial is for copying a shirt you already own
and sewing it again for you. Don't copy a shirt and then create a pattern to sell, that's stealing. This
is just a DIY project for you to recreate the fit of your favorite tee, so let's get started!
I want to share two secrets from ready-to-wear or store-bought shirts. Combine these two secrets
with this tutorial and you will have a super satisfying duplicate of your favorite t-shirt.
First is the fabric. Ready-to-wear companies often have access to dreamy fabrics that you can't
necessarily find in the store. Look at the garment tag on your shirt and you can identify the type
of fabric that your shirt is made of. Look at the fabric contents, see if it specifies any stretch
and then search for something similar online or at your favorite local fabric shop. You can calculate
the stretch percentage of the fabric on your ready-to-wear t-shirt, we actually have a video
showing you how to do this on our youtube channel, so we will link that below. You are going to want
to look for fabric that has the same amount of stretch. Be prepared to accept that you might
not be able to find an exact match and this can affect the fit and drape of the t-shirt a little
bit. The second thing is a coverstitch machine. You don't need a cover stitch machine to sew a t-shirt
but ready-to-wear companies have access to machinery that you might not have at your home.
You can use a twin needle to best replicate this finish for your neckline and hems
but if you are interested in a coverstitch machine, we do have a great video tutorial
about using one in the Seamwork Classroom. We will also post a link for that below.
For this tutorial you'll need: your favorite t-shirt neatly pressed, a large piece of paper
that will fit underneath your shirt, a needlepoint or stiletto tracing wheel - if you don't have one
you can just use a pin it's just a little bit more time consuming. You'll also need some pins,
a padded surface that fits under your shirt, something like a piece of foam
core or a cardboard cutting mat, you can even use your cutting mat in a pinch, a clear ruler
a pencil or a pen, we're using sharpie for this tutorial, I don't recommend that it's just for
you to be able to see what we're doing, a curved ruler and a tape measure. First you have to get set
up. On your paper use a ruler to draw a straight line as long as your t-shirt. Label this line the
center front. Fold your t-shirt in half and press it firmly to mark a crease down the center front.
Align the crease on your t-shirt with the center front line on your paper. The goal is to get the
front of your shirt as flat as possible without stretching it or distorting it. You'll be working
on one pattern piece at a time so just focus on the front bodice, if the back of your shirt or the
sleeves are kind of bunched up, that's totally fine. Use pins to create anchor points at the center
front below the neckband, at the center front hem, at the top and the bottom of the side seam,
and at each end of the shoulder seam.
Lift up your shirt at each of these anchor points to circle the mark where the pin was
and you can reference them later. If you look at the part of your shirt
that's pinned down right now, it kind of looks like a front bodice pattern piece doesn't it?!
The next step is to trace. To trace the front of your shirt, use your wheel tracing along the hem,
side seam, and the shoulder seam. The needle point tracing wheel will create these little holes in
the pattern paper and then later you can just play connect the dots. Using a wheel helps you
trace your shirt really quickly but you can also use a pin to poke holes in the paper one by one,
or lift up the sides and trace with a pencil if that's easier for you. For the neckline, trace
below the neckband. The neckband is going to become a separate pattern piece later.
If you don't want to poke holes in your neckline just fold the neckband back and trace the curve.
Same thing for the armscye, trace along the seam line at the armscye. Remove all of your
anchor pins as well as your t-shirt and you'll see tiny holes in the shape of your pattern.
Label your piece as soon as you finish tracing just so you don't forget what it is.
The next step is to connect the dots. Use your ruler or just freehand connect the dots.
Try to get smooth lines between all of the anchor points. If you look at any t-shirt
pattern, you'll notice that most of the lines are pretty straight and any curves are very gradual.
You want your pattern to look like this, but remember you're a human not digital pattern
making software so this pattern is going to look hand drawn, that's totally okay. You can
use curved rulers at the armscye and neckline if it helps. Add your desired seam allowance to the
side seam, the armscye, the shoulder seam, and the neckline, and the hem. Don't add seam allowance to
the center front because you're going to cut the pattern piece on the fold. I added half an inch at
all of the seams except for the neckline where I added a quarter inch. It helps to write down
the seam allowance that you used on your pattern paper so that you don't forget when you're sewing.
Next you're going to create the back. If the front and back of your t-shirt are not symmetrical
you can repeat all the same steps as the front making sure to add your seam allowance.
If the front and the back are symmetrical except for maybe the neckline, you can just
trace the front pattern piece that you just made and then retrace the back neckline, which is often
a little bit higher than the front neckline. If the front and back are almost symmetrical you
can trace the front piece and make small adjustments according to the back piece.
For example, you could carve out the back armscye a little bit, the back hem line is
also sometimes shorter or shaped differently than the front to account for fitting over
the chest. Next we're going to create the sleeve. Use a ruler to draw a straight horizontal line.
This will become your sleeve hemline. Then draw another line perpendicular to the hemline.
Fold your sleeve in half at the shoulder seam. Lay it flat on the paper with the front of
the sleeve facing up, matching the hem to the hemline and the fold to the perpendicular line.
Secure the sleeve with anchor pins at the end of all of your seams and then circle those
anchor points on the paper in case you want to reference them later. Then trace your sleeve. If
your sleeve is symmetrical this pattern piece can be cut on the fold but sometimes the front
and back curves of your sleeve cap will be kind of different. If your sleeve is not symmetrical
you can label this half of the sleeve as the front and then flip your shirt over.
That way the back of the sleeve is facing up, aligning the hemline and the perpendicular line.
Repeat the steps that you just did for the front of the sleeve to trace the back of the sleeve
then all you have to do is add seam allowance. To get a clean finish on the hem
fold at the stitch line and then trace with your wheel.
Unfold and then cut out your sleeve piece.
Next we're going to make some bands. To draft a knit neckband from scratch,
measure your neckline opening and then subtract about 10 to 20% to get the length of your band.
Two inches wide is a good place to start for the width, but that's totally your choice. Draw
your band piece and then label it right away. You can also feel free to add a line to cut on the
fold if you don't want to cut a full pattern piece for the band. This next step is important and it's
a little bit tricky - you need to true your seams. After you've added seam allowance to your pieces
you need to make sure that all of your stitch lines will meet up and they won't meet at awkward
points or angles. To do this, fold over your seam allowance and match up your seam lines where
you will be stitching. Ensure that they match and don't create any funny shapes. Use your wheel to
blend seam lines across the pieces. You can match the stitch lines on the front piece to the stitch
lines on the back pattern piece along the shoulder seams and side seams. Make sure that they're even
and adjust your pieces as necessary. Ensure that the neckline makes sense. Line up your front
and back shoulder seams. Does the neckline look like a weird shape kind of like a figure eight?
Get your curved ruler and blend your stitch lines if necessary. Then you need to true your sleeves.
Measure the length of the sleeve cap and compare it to the measurement of your armhole. Do this for
the front and the back. If they do not match, add or subtract from the side seam and then blend.
If the sleep cap is just a little bit shorter or longer than the armscye, that's okay as long
as you think you can ease it into the armscye as you sew. The final step is to make it official with
some pattern markings. When you have everything traced and trued you can add your official pattern
markings like notches and grainlines and then don't forget to note the cutting instructions
and that's it. Now you have a pattern for your favorite t-shirt. Do you think this means you don't
have to sew a muslin? I'm sorry but you still have to sew a muslin to double check the fit, especially
if this is your first time tracing a t-shirt. If you enjoyed this video read my step-by-step
article in issue 79 of Seamwork for even more tips to trace your favorite t-shirt. Do you have
any questions? do you have some more tips to share? Just comment below and let me know. Happy sewing!
You can even... there's a fly in my eye. I tried to roll with it but it like went inside my glasses!
... that is as at least as "gibberish"