T-shirt: sewing steps in pictures

1Place the front and back right sides together

Lay the back right side up, then place the front on top, wrong side up, so the right sides face each other. Line up the outer ends of both shoulders and the neckline ends, and pin or clip.

The front has the deeper neckline, so you can tell front from back.

2Sew both shoulders

Sew along the stitching line 1 cm (3/8 in) from the edge, from the outer end of the shoulder to the neckline. Backstitch at both ends.

Don't pull the knit — let the machine feed it. On thin fabric, iron stay tape onto the back shoulders first.

3Zigzag the allowances and press them to the back

Zigzag the two allowances together. Open the body out flat and press the allowances toward the back.

1Make the neckband into a loop

Place the short ends of the neckband right sides together and sew with a 1 cm (3/8 in) seam to make a loop. Press the seam open.

Check that the loop isn't twisted before you sew.

2Fold it in half and mark the quarters

Fold it in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press the fold. Treat the seam as center back and mark the quarter notches from the pattern.

Stretch the loop over your head now to check it fits. If it doesn't, widen the neckline in the tool and recut.

3Divide the neckline into quarters

Mark center front and center back. Lay the neckline flat with center front on top of center back; the folds at either side are the quarter points. Mark them too.

The front neckline is longer, so the quarter points sit a little in front of the shoulder seams.

4Pin the band to the neckline

With the body right side out, place the band on the right side of the neckline. Put the band seam at center back, match its four marks to the neckline quarters, line up the raw edges and pin.

The band is 10% shorter than the neckline, so between the pins it should look a little too short. That's right.

5Stretch the band and sew all round

Start at center back. Between each pair of pins, stretch only the band slightly to fit the neckline, and sew all round with a 1 cm (3/8 in) seam. Zigzag all three layers of allowance together.

Stretch the band only — never the neckline of the body.

6Press the allowances to the body and topstitch

Press the allowances toward the body, then topstitch from the right side about 5 mm (1/4 in) from the seam, on the body side, all the way round.

1Match the sleeve to the body at the notches

Lay the body flat and place a sleeve on it right sides together. Match the cap notch to the shoulder seam and the ends of the sleeve to the notches at the bottom of the armhole, then pin evenly in between.

This is a drop-shoulder pattern with a low cap, so the sleeve goes in flat, before anything is sewn into a tube.

2Sew the armhole and press the allowances to the body

Sew along the armhole from end to end with a 1 cm (3/8 in) seam. Zigzag the two allowances together and press them toward the body. Repeat for the other sleeve.

1Fold right sides together and match the underarms

Fold the front and back right sides together at the shoulders. Match the sleeve seams exactly at the underarm and pin, then line up the cuffs and the hem.

2Sew from the cuff to the hem in one seam

Sew from the cuff, through the underarm and down to the hem in one continuous 1 cm (3/8 in) seam. Zigzag the allowances. Repeat on the other side.

Where the allowances cross at the underarm, press them in opposite directions so it doesn't get bulky.

1Turn up the hem allowance and press

Turn the allowances on the pattern to the wrong side — 2 cm (3/4 in) on the cuffs and 2.5 cm (1 in) on the body — and press a crease.

The cuff allowance flares out on the pattern, so it lies exactly against the sleeve when you turn it up.

2Stitch round from the right side

From the right side, stitch about 5 mm (1/4 in) inside the raw edge of the allowance with a zigzag or a stretch stitch, all the way round. Overlap the start by 1–2 cm (1/2–3/4 in).

If the stitching goes wavy, press it with steam and it will settle.