T-Shirt Up-cycle Sew Along

Day One: Preparing the Pattern

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Welcome welcome! I am excited to get started on this project. I’ve got a stack of old t-shirts that I can’t bring myself to get rid of, but can’t fit my mom belly in anymore. This is a great solution that will allow me to bring some old shirts (and memories) back to life!

Let’s get started!

To begin with, you’ll need the following:

1. Your pattern. I am using a Raglan pattern for this sew-along. If you’re a beginner, the Raglan is a great place to start! I’ve mentioned before that I love to use PDF patterns. My favorite raglans come from Patterns for Pirates and GreenStyleCreations . **the P4P is my affiliate link**

2. Wax paper. I like using wax paper over parchment paper. I’ve found that it works better for what I need. (The Reynolds parchment paper works TOO good- I can’t get tape to stick to it!)

3. Permanent marker

4. Some sort of weight to keep your pattern and tracing paper in place. (Yes, those are tuna cans. They are the perfect weight and height to make tracing a breeze!)

Once you’ve got your materials gathered up, find a good-sized, hard surface to work. The kitchen table is usually my choice. (Someday I’ll have a work space for this- when my new house is done being built!)

Follow these steps:

1. If you printed your pattern on 8×11 paper, you’ll want to piece it together using the guide on the pattern.

2. Find what size you’ll need. The guides on the patterns I find to be very accurate.

** if your measurements fall into different sizes, you may need to grade the pattern. I will be doing a tutorial on how to do that in the near future. For now, if you have questions, send me a message through my contact page and I can walk you through it. **

3. I trace one pattern piece at a time. Rip a piece of wax paper off- enough to cover the piece you’re tracing. Depending on the size, you may need to tape two pieces of wax paper together– I usually have to do this on the bodice pattern pieces and the sleeves.

4. Using the key on the pattern, find the right line for your size. Trace around the pattern piece. Also be sure to trace all of the pattern markings, and label what pattern piece it is. There’s nothing worse then trying to use a blank pattern later on and not knowing whether you’ve got the front or the back.

This is how I usually label:

P4P Raglan

Sleeve

Size LG

Cut 2

I use the permanent marker to trace, and I usually do dashed lines, rather than tracing the whole line.

When you’re finished tracing all the pieces, cut them out and you are ready to cut your fabric!

**I use this tracing method because I like to have a master copy of my pattern. I sew for family and clients, and I need to be able to use the pattern more than once. If you are using the pattern for just your own personal use, you can absolutely skip this tracing step and cut your size from your printed pattern. It’s all up to your preference. **

See you tomorrow for day two: cutting your fabric!

❤ Kayliegh