I was feeling a little like I needed a sewing palate cleanser. I was in the middle of making a jumpsuit (pattern review coming soon!) and just couldn’t bring myself to work on it. Rather than sew nothing, I thought I’d make myself a simple raglan shirt. Basics aren’t always the most exciting thing to sew but we all need them in our wardrobe.
I had pinned the raglan tee from It’s Always Autumn some time ago. It is a free pattern and only available in a size large, which happens to be my size. If it’s not yours, you can grade up/down but it’s probably easier in this case to find a raglan pattern that’s size appropriate (raglans are quite simple, it's easy to find a pattern/tutorial).
Since, it’s a free pattern it’s not the same as a commercial pattern. If you are used to that, you might be disappointed (but it’s FREE). I had a little trouble putting the PDF pages together, because I didn’t have the website up at the time to see the overall image of the pattern and there aren’t any page numbers. It was still simple enough to follow the lines and figure it out. I mean it looks like a shirt so…. :)
I was originally planning to make the whole shirt from a red double brushed poly (DBP) that I ordered from fabric.com. Seriously DBP is the softest fabric, I'm totally in love with it.
But I didn’t realize that I didn’t have enough fabric until after I cut out my sleeves – the front back was cut 2 on fold, not 1! If had realized, I might have made my sleeves in the black but I wasn’t going to ruin my beautiful DBP!
The construction was really simple, I serged it together as instructed. However, when I came to do the hem I had some ahh…challenges. This had nothing to do with the pattern or project but my double needle wouldn’t sew at all. I tried another need, nothing. A 3rd needled, nothing. And every which way to thread the thing I could think of or find online. I finally had to give it up. Surely not all 3 were dull or bent? I was pretty sure I’d only ever used one of the pack and not very much!
I saw that my double needs were universal double needles (I was using these) and thought maybe I should try a stretch double needle?
I ordered a stretch double needle and put the project on hold while I waited for it. I also ordered some knit stay tape while I was at it. It wouldn’t help with the skipped stitches but it would help with the overall look of the sewing.
I don't know if it was the new needle or the stay tape but my problem was solved! Double needle magic!
The fit is pretty good, i might make the sleeves a 1/4 in larger next time. I also got some funky wrinkles by my neck band when I was wearing it so I might need to investigate that. It could be that I need more ease somewhere or when I attached my neckband I stretched it too much (or not enough). My two fabrics had different amounts of stretch, which probably didn't help the situation either.
Overall it was a simple project and good tutorial!
This post contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links I will receive a small commission, thank you for your support.
I had pinned the raglan tee from It’s Always Autumn some time ago. It is a free pattern and only available in a size large, which happens to be my size. If it’s not yours, you can grade up/down but it’s probably easier in this case to find a raglan pattern that’s size appropriate (raglans are quite simple, it's easy to find a pattern/tutorial).
Since, it’s a free pattern it’s not the same as a commercial pattern. If you are used to that, you might be disappointed (but it’s FREE). I had a little trouble putting the PDF pages together, because I didn’t have the website up at the time to see the overall image of the pattern and there aren’t any page numbers. It was still simple enough to follow the lines and figure it out. I mean it looks like a shirt so…. :)
 |
| Double brushed poly spandex in red wine |
But I didn’t realize that I didn’t have enough fabric until after I cut out my sleeves – the front back was cut 2 on fold, not 1! If had realized, I might have made my sleeves in the black but I wasn’t going to ruin my beautiful DBP!
The construction was really simple, I serged it together as instructed. However, when I came to do the hem I had some ahh…challenges. This had nothing to do with the pattern or project but my double needle wouldn’t sew at all. I tried another need, nothing. A 3rd needled, nothing. And every which way to thread the thing I could think of or find online. I finally had to give it up. Surely not all 3 were dull or bent? I was pretty sure I’d only ever used one of the pack and not very much!
I saw that my double needs were universal double needles (I was using these) and thought maybe I should try a stretch double needle?I ordered a stretch double needle and put the project on hold while I waited for it. I also ordered some knit stay tape while I was at it. It wouldn’t help with the skipped stitches but it would help with the overall look of the sewing.
I don't know if it was the new needle or the stay tape but my problem was solved! Double needle magic!
 |
| Pretty good looking hem! |
 |
| And in the contrasting color on the black back! |
The fit is pretty good, i might make the sleeves a 1/4 in larger next time. I also got some funky wrinkles by my neck band when I was wearing it so I might need to investigate that. It could be that I need more ease somewhere or when I attached my neckband I stretched it too much (or not enough). My two fabrics had different amounts of stretch, which probably didn't help the situation either.
Overall it was a simple project and good tutorial!
This post contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links I will receive a small commission, thank you for your support.
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