How to make a plush t-shirt

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one outfit for a 20 cm plush)

• Main fabric (light cotton jersey or double gauze) — about 20 × 15 cm (scraps are fine)
• Hook-and-loop tape, 1 cm — about 5 cm
• Size 9 needle and fine thread

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Fandom” → “Plush T-shirt” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the chest, length and the rest. Presets cover 10, 15 and 20 cm plushies and a 27 cm doll.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Measure the plush
   Chest at its widest, and the length you want from the shoulder. Two plushies both sold as "20 cm" can be quite different, so measure yours.
2. Trace the pattern
   Lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace both lines. At this scale a fine chalk pencil works better than a marker.
3. Cut the pieces
   If the fabric frays, seal the edges or zigzag them straight away.
4. Transfer the notches
   The smaller the garment, the more the notches matter. Do not skip them.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the shoulders

1. Place front and back right sides together and sew both shoulders.
2. Seam allowance 5 mm — and the same all the way to the end.
3. Press the allowances open, pressing firmly with a finger. A small iron helps here.

4-2. Finish the neckline and sleeves

1. Turn the neckline under 5 mm and stitch.
2. Do the same at the sleeve openings. Before you close the sides. Afterwards the loop is far too small to sew.

4-3. Sew the sides

1. Place front and back right sides together and sew from the sleeve opening to the hem in one run.
2. Clip the curves every 5 mm. At this size, without clips it will pull.

4-4. Hem it and add the fastening

1. Turn the hem under 5 mm and stitch.
2. Cut the center back open from the neck for about 60% of the length and turn each edge under 5 mm.
3. Sew hook-and-loop to the two opened edges.

✏️ Keep the seam allowance at 5 mm. At 1 cm the shoulder and side allowances collide, and the shoulders end up too bulky for the garment to go on. Small garment, small allowances — that is the rule.

5. Tips & variations

• Open the back: a plush with a large head cannot get through a closed neckline.
• Jersey helps: light cotton jersey stretches, so a slightly-off measurement still goes on.
• Seam allowance is 5 mm: at 1 cm the allowances collide and the garment will not turn out cleanly.
• Size 9 needle, fine thread: a heavy needle leaves holes in the fabric.
• Mock it up in paper: assembling it once in interfacing or copy paper shows up any problem with length or ease.