The jersey is now washed and tumble dried
This is the selvedge. It's no longer wavy
and I notice it is inclined to roll to the inside
whereas the cut edge seems to be rolling naturally
to the right which is quite interesting
It could be a candidate for the unfinished
rolled edge look which is popular these days
Now my length before washing was 120cm
Measuring it now I find it is 108cm or so
That's a 10% shrinkage in the length
So bear that in mind
I'm going to give the fabric a quick press
Which makes it easier for my layout
Right
my fabric is now pressed and ready for cutting out
But before I do that I am going to take off a 2" strip
To use as binding for my neckline
I do this with most of the jersey I buy
It is so useful to have a stock
of interesting fabrics to use
as a contrast trimming and binding
Jersey will trim woven fabrics as well as other jerseys
This pretty little T-shirt has been bound
with my grey spot jersey
to good effect I think
Check the cut edge is reasonable straight
A ruler like this is good for this job
Mark and cut off 2" or so across the whole width
It just takes a minute
It is easier to do this while the fabric is in one piece
This will form a nice neck band for this T-shirt
The edge doesn't have to be that perfect
Commercial T-shirts are often
but not always, trimmed with a ribbed version
of the same jersey
However it is rarely available in the retail market
and using the jersey itself works just as well
This is how I have laid out my pieces
The fabric is a single layer, right side up
I like to be generous with spacing
especially at the selvedge
where the knit can be distorted
Other sizes may need a different layout
and more fabric
The main pieces in the larger sizes
may not fit on side by side
especially if the jersey is narrower to start with
I'm often asked why I don't supply layouts
There are many variations to consider
It is much better to work it out when you have the fabric
and you have decided about hem length
and other variations
I buy ample fabric
In fact I usually buy the fabric
before I have decided what to make
I like to have yardage over for other things
This way I end up with a well coordinated wardrobe
Now, this is the straight grain line
It has to be parallel to the selvedge
The selvedge is rolling a bit
but just get it reasonably parallel
The knit can be a bit distorted anyway
So don't worry too much
I am finding it easier to use weights
to anchor down my pattern
rather than pins
It is quite tricky to get pins through the paper
These are curtain weights
Get the biggest you can find
They work really well
Now for the cutting out
Keep your scissors sharpened
⅝ " is the standard seam allowance
Don't cut less than this
You will soon get used to doing this by eye
Mark the notches as you cut out
A snip into the allowance is all that is needed
But keep well short of the stitching line
A double snip for two notches
usually indicates a back seam
rather than a front seam
Also, mark the Centre Front and Back
Although this marking is not so essential
with this pattern
But it is a good habit to get into
I have quite a few pieces over
The large piece may be enough for a vest
or combined with another jersey for stripes
and as for the rest
I keep two plastic posts handy
One for the larger waste bits
which I constantly dip into
to test stitches and techniques
The other for tiny bits and threads
which will either go in the bin
or used to stuff cushions. Why waste it?
This keeps my workroom tidy
I have my pieces cut out
Centres and notches are marked
I have matching thread
I have wound my bobin
I have a new needle in my sewing machine
I have my length of jersey for binding
which I am going to use to finish the neckline
Coming next in Part 3
Sewing our T-Shirt together
You will be sewing the front to the back
by joining our right shoulder seam
leaving the left open
We will then attach the binding to the neckline
right sides together
Then we will stitch the left shoulder seam together
and join the neck binding at the same time
and then turn the binding to the inside
Next, we will attach the sleeves
Then we will stitch the side seam
and the underarm seam in one go
We will stitch the hem and turn up the sleeve hem
So get your sewing machine ready for Part 3
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