Customized
T-Shirts
for
The
Whole
Woman
by
Christine Ann Kent
President
Whole Woman Inc.
www.wholewoman.com
© Photos and text copyright 2006
by Christine Ann Kent.
All rights reserved.
Customized T-Shirts
for the Whole Woman
T-shirts are such a fun and expressive art form, if only they weren’t so boxy and
baggy! Now you can wear t-shirts that express the inner you AND look great at the
same time. Here’s how:
The Shirt
Find that perfect unisex t-shirt. Shirts sized for women won’t work for this project,
as they are already somewhat fitted and usually cut too short. The only fit
requirement is that it be large enough in the hips to go comfortably over a skirt or
pair of pants.
Shop for a woven cotton fabric that goes well with your shirt and also matches the
skirt or pants of your choice. The patterns for the skirts in these pictures are from
Simplicity #4331.
© Copyright 2006 by Christine Ann Kent. All rights reserved.
1
Sleeves
Iron the shirt, making
sure the sides are
aligned at right angles
to the underarm seams.
Cap the sleeves by
marking 2¾ inches out
from the top of the
shoulder seam and 1¼
inch out from the
underarm seam.
Connect these with a
chalk line and cut along
the line.
Make a narrow hem in
the sleeve by folding
under ¼ inch. Press,
fold under again ½ inch, press, and pin. Sew hem in place with decorative or
stretch stitch.
Hem
Try the shirt on with the
accompanying skirt or
pants and decide
exactly where the
finished length should
be. Mark with chalk.
Add 1¼ inch to this
length and mark all the
way around
circumference of shirt.
Cut off the bottom of
the shirt.
Make a narrow hem by
folding over ¼ inch.
Press, fold over ½ inch,
press again and stitch.
© Copyright 2006 by Christine Ann Kent. All rights reserved.
2
Belt Loops
To make belt loops from the piece that you
just cut from the bottom, cut through the
circle to make a long strip.
Leave the finished hem as it is and cut the
strip to include ⅜ inch of shirt material as
well as the finished edge. Fold in the
selvage edge to the middle of the strip and
press. Fold the finished edge over the selvage and press. Pin the strip, which is
now folded neatly in half, and sew in place using a locking stitch.
Cut the strip into pieces for belt loops. The length of the loops will depend upon the
width of the belt you plan to wear.
To determine how long to cut the loops, measure the strip all the way around the
width of your belt and add ⅜ inch. I use the same 4½ inches for all my belt loops.
Set the loops aside.
Neck
Carefully remove the crew neck by cutting
along the seam line.
Cut a strip of bias fabric 1¼ inch wide and
long enough to go around the neck with
several inches to spare for working ease.
© Copyright 2006 by Christine Ann Kent. All rights reserved.
3
To find the bias, or diagonal of the fabric,
fold one long edge up and across the fabric
into a right angle as shown. Mark with a
ruler and cut the strip.
If you must make two shorter strips,
butt them together at the ends, sew,
trim the corners and press seam flat.
Press under 3/8 inch along one long edge
of strip.
Beginning at the back of the neck on the
WRONG side of shirt, place the RIGHT side
of strip at center back, leaving about 2
inches of strip at the beginning. In other
words, don’t begin sewing at the end of the strip, but about 2 inches in.
Sew a ½ inch seam around the neck, being careful to keep shirt and strip edges
even. End stitching about ¼ inch away from beginning stitching.
Grasp the ends of the strip and
sew them together crosswise
being careful not to catch the
shirt in the seam. Trim seam to
½ inch, trim corners, and iron
flat.
© Copyright 2006 by Christine Ann Kent. All rights reserved.
4
Trim neck seam to a scant ¼ inch all the way around and press seam toward strip.
Turn shirt right side out and fold strip to the OUTSIDE and press. Sew in place
using a decorative stitch.
© Copyright 2006 by Christine Ann Kent. All rights reserved.
5
Darts
Make darts on the WRONG
side of shirt back.
The following instructions are
for one of my shirts, however
the size of the darts are going
to vary with each individual.
To determine the size your
darts should be, try on your
shirt inside-out and have
someone pin them roughly
into place as you look in the
mirror for the right fit. You
can then carefully measure
and draw them.
First find center back by
folding shirt in half lengthwise
matching shoulder and underarm seams. Press fold with iron. Mark entire length
of center back with chalk.
Make a line across the back of
the shirt about an inch
beneath the underarm seams.
Measure 4½ inches from
center on both sides of
horizontal line and make a
dot.
From the 4½ inch mark on
either side of center, make a
10 inch vertical line and mark
with dot.
If your shirt has a design on the back, move the vertical
lines out to the sides as needed. The darts in the shirt to
the right are seven inches from center.
© Copyright 2006 by Christine Ann Kent. All rights reserved.
6
Find the center of this line
(five inches) and mark an inch
on either side with a dot.
Connect the dots with chalk to
form a long triangle.
© Copyright 2006 by Christine Ann Kent. All rights reserved.
7
Pin the dart together along its
center line and sew. Even
though the chalk line makes
an angle at the middle of the
dart, round out your stitching
to form a curve rather than a
sharp angle. Trim seam
allowance to about ¼ inch.
Finishing
To find placement for belt loops, try on the shirt and place the belt exactly where
you want it. Draw with chalk all the way around the outline of the belt.
Measure for belt loops from center front and back
and sides of shirt. I typically sew six loops spaced
evenly. Mark with chalk.
Place one end of loop in the middle of belt marking
(where the middle of the belt would be). Sew the
loop down with zigzag stitch. Lift up the presser foot
and without moving the threads, slip the other end of
the loop under the foot alongside previous stitching,
forming a circle. Lower the foot and continue to
zigzag that end in place. Continue with all the loops.
Iron the loops flat. With a straight stitch, sew them
down on the outside a scant 1/8 inch from either
end.
Voila! I hope you have fun wearing your customized
tee.
© Copyright 2006 by Christine Ann Kent. All rights reserved.
8