Five T-Shirts Later . . .
I have made five T-shirts for myself, all using the same self-drafted pattern but in different fabrics, and I’ve learned a few things in the process. This has been a useful exercise.
T-Shirt #1: Made from what I believe is a cotton/spandex print from Joanns from last year (probably 98% cotton/2% spandex).
This one fits me well, although the color makes me look like death warmed over. Oh well. I love the feel of the fabric.
T-Shirt #2: Made from pink 60/40 cotton/polyester interlock from Joanns.
I wore this one all day yesterday (can you tell?). This qualifies as a “beefy T” due to the interlock construction of the fabric, meaning both sides look like the knit-stitch side of a sweater with no purl side. Temps yesterday stayed relatively cool—80s instead of high 90s due to overcast skies—and I was quite comfortable. My only complaint about this kind of fabric is poor recovery. Once it stretches out, it tends to stay that way. I think it may also pill because of the polyester. I line-dry most of my clothing in my laundry room, but washing can also cause pilling. We’ll find out. One of the pieces of fabric I bought in Missoula last week is 100% cotton interlock. I’ll see if I can tell a difference when I make a shirt out of it.
T-Shirt #3: Green bamboo/rayon/spandex (?) from The Confident Stitch in Missoula.
This fabric is not listed on their website, but because they carry deadstock, once the fabric is gone, it’s gone. This T-shirt is tighter on me and is a good example of Zede Donohue’s admonition that “Knits should skim, not cling.” Note to self that any future shirts in a similar fabric need additional ease. I will wear it anyway. I adore the color.
T-Shirt #4: A double-brushed poly from Joanns (90% polyester/10% spandex).
Even though the polyester fabrics of today are a far cry from those used in the horrifying polyester leisure suits of the 1970s, I tend to avoid polyester in favor of natural fibers. This one isn’t bad. The double-brushed nature of this fabric makes it feel like peachskin to me. I wore this top to church Sunday because DBP looks dressier than cotton or interlock. I like clothing that I don’t have to tug at and adjust and this top fits the bill. I am still working on perfecting my neckbands, which are averaging a B+. I look at what I make and if it looks better than what is currently coming out of third-world sweatshops and being sold in stores, then I am happy. Admittedly, that is a low bar. My coverstitch hems, though, are on point.
T-Shirt #5: Made from 100% cotton jersey from Joanns. Eh.
The fabric was a disappointment. It was thinner than expected and gave me some fits. Despite being a knit, this fabric had very little stretch. Any future tops in a similar fabric need additional ease. The neckband either needs to be cut on the bias or made from ribbing because making it long enough to bind the neck opening means that it tends not to lie flat. This could be a good one to try binding instead of a neckband. I am tempted to buy another yard and re-make it to test all these theories because I really do like the fabric, which is from the juvenile apparel section of Joanns. Perhaps I should confine my purchases to the adult section.
For all my moaning and groaning about spandex, a small amount is helpful. T-shirts don’t fit nearly as closely as leggings do and thus it is tolerable to me. This project is ongoing. I still have a few more fabrics in the knits pile to make into shirts, as well as the blends I ordered because they weren’t available locally.
What I’ve learned:
I don’t need as many dressy tops as I do utilitarian ones.
I am a sucker for fun prints and bright colors
Polyester is not evil, at least from the standpoint of the hand of the fabric, but comes with other issues depending on one’s personal philosophy about resource depletion.
Spandex is useful in small amounts.
The fabric content affects ease (something I knew on a basic level, but needed to see in action). Paradoxically, the most stretchy and least stretchy fabrics require additional ease.
Finally, even though spending this much time with my serger was not the plan I had for this summer, developing and teaching serger classes has been a positive because now I have both a basic T-shirt pattern and a good understanding about the differences in fabrics. Not all knits are created equal. And no matter how much I love the print, if I don’t like the resulting garment because of the way the fabric behaves, making it was a waste of time and money.
[Spoonflower is always an option. I have this niggling feeling that at some point, I am going to dip my toe into fabric design, and Spoonflower would be the way to start that process. Because I need another hobby.]
I like having clothing that fits me.
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We have a significant chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, but given the current humidity levels, they probably won’t come with much rain. Hopefully, they will not spark any new fires. One of the Seattle news stations tweeted a picture yesterday of a brush fire at the entrance to the Tacoma Mall, and I knew exactly where it was because I used to shop there when DD#1 was in college at Pacific Lutheran.
There were also three horrific vehicle accidents in the same part of Kalispell on Friday and Saturday that resulted in two fatalities. Getting through town is an ongoing exercise in defensive driving. People are in such an awful hurry.