Introducing Project 015—Knit Tanks & Tees
Let's design our own custom fitted tank tops and t-shirts. Today, I'm sharing the plan for our next drafting project and lots of links for how to sew your own.
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Hello my mathy friends! I hope you’re doing well. For our next drafting project, I’m going to share how to draft your own knit tank tops and t-shirts. Knit tops are so useful in the wardrobe and they are pretty quick to sew. We’ll start by drafting a block for the front and back and adapting it for a tank top. Then we’ll take that block and draft sleeves for a few different styles.
Often, drafting books will take a woven pattern block and adapt it to a knit but I’ve always felt like that’s a lot of extra work for what’s ultimately a fairly simple pattern. We’ll mostly be following the approach of the text Designing and Patternmaking for Stretch Fabrics by Keith Richardson.
The patterns will be for knit fabric with 2-way stretch. If you want to catch up on drafting with stretch fabric, I’ve written about it before in this post:
Understanding Negative Ease and Fabric Stretch Percentage
Hello my mathy sewing friends! This Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US and it always feels like even though it’s only a one day holiday, nothing actually gets done this week. Everyone is kind of checked out and ready to coast on to the New Year and I totally identify. I feel like all of my attention needs to be on crafting and cooking for the next month, preferably while watching a Christmas movie. Fortunately, my work is slower this week so I can get caught up on all of my sewing projects.
I wear a knit top almost everyday and my collection is getting worn out. (And we haven’t done a drafting project like this yet so I think it’s a win-win.) I’ve sewn lots of tanks and t-shirts over the years and it’s always a satisfying project. I also have LOTS of posts on my other blog with tips and tutorials for sewing with knit fabric.
T-shirt Sewing Patterns to Try
If you haven’t sewn a t-shirt or tank top before, you might want to try working from a pattern before you draft your own. Practice always helps when sewing. Below are a few patterns that I recommend. If you have a favorite t-shirt or tank pattern, please share it in the comments.
Stellan Tee by French Navy Patterns This is a free pattern. I recently made this in a drapey fabric and really like it.
Lark Tee by Grainline Studio Four necklines and four sleeve styles included!
Jane Crewneck by Seamwork (affiliate link) This is a great classic, high-neck style.
For more details, I shared this blog post a few years ago with a video and photos of four different t-shirt patterns that I’ve sewn, including all the patterns above.
In my own shop, the Lou Box Top pattern is a box style top (no separate sleeve pattern piece) that can be sewn in either knit or woven fabric. The LBT in knit fabric is one of my most worn pieces. I also have a racerback tank top as part of my Summer Sweatsuit pattern. This tank has a curved hem and medium high neckline for a little extra sun protection. Both of these patterns have video sewalongs for sewing the knit tops.
Sewing a Knit Tank or T-shirt
If you’ve been following me here for a while, then you know that I don’t usually get to deep into construction. I like to focus on drafting here. BUT, that’s because I have another blog where I’ve been posting sewing tutorials for over 10 years. And it’s PACKED with info on sewing knits. Click here to can scroll through all of my knit construction posts. Or, check out the links below for my top picks.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope that you’re excited for this project. My own t-shirt drawer is in need of a refresh and I’m excited to try drafting my own.
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Happy mathing!
Beth
My me-made tees are the superheroes of my wardrobe. Garment sewing fabrics are usually so much softer and nicer than RTW!
I love the Stellan Tee and the Closet Core T-Shirt (also free)!
That’s a great project! I’m looking forward to it!