I am STILL having a blast with the knits from Michael Miller (available in just a few weeks!) – I LOVE this blue and little Elliot is getting some fabulous new school shirts out of all four colors.
My latest experiment was making a onesie top t-shirt (inspired by Dana) and I think it went pretty well. I altered a commercial onesie pattern – McCalls M6344 – into a child’s onesie top shirt pattern and I am thrilled at how well it worked out.
To make your very own onesie to t-shirt:
1. Make your own onesie top t-shirt pattern.
2. Put on your favorite TV show – Parenthood? Psych? Fashion Star? Yes, yes, yes.
3. Cut out two sleeves
and a shirt front and back. Be sure to mark the shoulder with a fabric marker or chalk (you should have transferred the shoulder seam dot from the original McCalls pattern to your new pattern. If not, go back and do it now.)
4. Cut a 1 1/2″ – 2″ wide strip of cotton ribbing and serge both long edges.
5. Press the ribbing in half and pin it to the neck of both shirt front and back pieces by lining the fold on the inside edge of the ribbing up with the neck edge of the front/back pieces. This takes some time and patience but you can do it! This is the hardest part, promise.
6. After you’ve pinned ribbing to the front and back pieces, it’s time to sew it down. Deep breath…
Sew the first line of stitching right on top of the top serger thread (the one closest to the fold in the ribbing) and then go back and sew another line of stitching about halfway between the raw edge of the ribbing and the first line of stitching. Try not to stretch as you sew.
7. Lay the front piece on the table, right side up and lap the back piece, also right side up, over the top. Match the dots marking the shoulder seams and pin just where the front and back pieces overlap. Sew using a 1/4″ seam.
Like so.
8. I like to sew the shoulder together where the envelope neck opens up so it doesn’t gape when it’s worn. Lay it out just like it would be when on a body and sew right on top of the stitching line you created when you sewed the ribbing to the shirt front/back pieces. Go from the outside edge to where you can see the grey ribbing overlap.
9. Pin the sleeve to the shirt matching the dots to mark shoulder seams again and SERGE this seam.
Like so.
10. This step would be better off completed before #9, but either way works.
Serge the hem edge of both sleeves and the front and back shirt pieces.
11. Fold up 1/2″ – 5/8″ and sew a double line of stitching to hem the sleeves and shirt front/back.
Like so.
12. Last step!
Pin the shirt from the sleeve hem all the way down the side to the bottom shirt hem and serge the seam.
Finished! This shirt should take about an hour to complete and the possibilities are endless…practice using an old t-shirt first and then hit your knit stash.
Good luck!!!
