Boatneck t-shirt

The easiest and therefore my first project to make use of the overlocker was a t-shirt. I had no actual pattern but used an old t-shirt to create one. It's a boatneck top, one of my favourite shapes. I was given a gem of a book (101 Sewing Secrets by Singer) that explains the rub-off technique, among many other tips. It consists of copying another garment by tracing a fairly accurate pattern by laying a transparent paper or muslin and transferring the seamlines. This method is a great way to recreate your favourites, especially when something fits perfectly.

The starting point is pen and paper, and a french curve is also really useful.

To create the pattern, you need to turn the t-shirt inside out and fold it in half and follow the seams or other marks. Once the outline is finished, the seam allowance needs to be added (see the darker mark on the pattern below).

Then to sew. I followed the instructions here. To briefly summarise, the first step is to join the front and back at the shoulders, and then the round part of the sleeve is attached. The next step is to create a single seam starting from the sleeve all the way down the side.

For the hem and the neck opening I used a twin or double needle, to mimic coverstitch. I found that just folding the seam allowance wasn't the strongest finishing, so I would add bias binding next time.

As the two photos show below, the front and the back are identical. I only realised after finishing the t-shirt that it could do with a little label on the back.