I've learned to sew jersey on a regular sewing machine!

Jersey used to be my "Fabric Enemy No.1".
On the floor of my wardrobe there was an ever growing pile of t-shirts that needed revamping, but all previous attempts to sew knitted fabrics had failed miserably. Some people told me I would need an overlocker to sew jersey.

So I when I came across Tilly And The Buttons' online workshop "Learn to sew jersey tops on a regular sewing machine" I decided to give it a go.

In the additional video's Tilly explains all techniques in detail. (Thank you, Tilly!) And all questions in the forum are answered quickly. It was also nice to see everyone's shared results.

The Agnes top pattern is so versatile: you just want to make more and more tops!



A few tips I took from the course: 
- A running foot might be very handy for my sewing machine if I want to sew more jersey.
- The moment I was thinking: "yes yes, I know, Tilly, I have to check that my seam allowances are not folded" I noticed the neckline I had just finished actually had a folded seam! So I need a teacher that is patient with me through out the whole workshop and does keep me on track. ;-)

Detail of stabilising the shoulders.

My main motivation was to make a fitted top out of band t-shirts.
I defy Trinny & Susannah's "women over 25 shouldn't wear band t-shirts". In fact: it only makes me rebellious and want to wear them more!

Band merchandise shirts are usually a straight T shape. If they do have a fitted tee it is a girly. And those are meant for tiny girls, not for a 1.84 meter (5ft 9) woman.


Here are a few pointers on making the Agnes top out of 2 t-shirts:
- Because of the print band t-shirts can be of a less stretchy jersey: go up one size if necessary.
- I used 2 t-shirts: one for the front and back panel, and another for the sleeves and neckline.
- Some t-shirts are made from a tube knitted fabric (no side seams). In my experience those tend to have a thread direction that can 'lean' or twist a little. So take your time when laying the fabric out.
- Make sure you don't have too much of the print near the seams as you need to press the seams with an iron, and not all prints can handle the heat. 



Happy sewing!

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