DIY Romantic Lace T-shirt (and pattern)

I think no-one would argue with the fact that t-shirts are a staple in any wardrobe, especially during the warmer months. I was doing a little spring cleaning in my closet the other day, putting away my winter wardrobe, and organizing for spring, when I realized I had only a few basic t-shirt, and half of them were black. Gasp! So, as soon as I got some sewing time I whipped up this pretty little thing. And when I say whipped, I mean it, because this one came together super fast.

Since the process of making this t-shirt was so simple, I thought I'd share it so you could give it a try yourself if you fancy. I used lace to add a touch of romance and give it a more feminine feel. The great thing about this pattern is that it can has lots of playroom and can be customized according to your individual style.

Be sure to click "read more" below to see the full tutorial, including how to make the pattern!


First, you'll need one of your favorite t-shirt as the basis for your pattern. I used this one, since the fit was just snug enough, and I loved where the sleeves hit me. I wanted to create a pattern that was not too comfortable, easily customizable, and simple to sew.

Fold your t-shirt (I recommend t-shirts with very short sleeves) in half and put it onto a sheet of paper. I used a roll of baking paper as my tracing material. Trace the contour of the t-shirt (pink line on the photo above). After tracing, remove the shirt, and make all the alterations you like. Deduce the width of the binding from the armholes and neckline. I also widened the neckline a bit.
Cut two identical pattern pieces. One will be your front, and the other your back pattern piece. As you can see in the picture above, my original pattern was the back pattern piece, so I had to alter the neckline of the other pattern piece to be much steeper to make it my front pattern piece (shown on picture below)

Newt up, draw a straight line just under the armpit, if you'd like the shirt to have two blocks of different fabric like mine has. If you want to make the t-shirt all in one fabric skip this step.

Now that you have your pattern ready, it's time to start:

First, cut our your pattern pieces (shown in pictures 1&2 above). Also cut three long 5cm wide strips of the base fabric to be used later as binding for the neckline and armholes. Once all the pieces are cut, start putting them together.
Below you can see a picture where the numbers represent the order in which to preferably sew your seams. Start with sewing together the lower and upper part of the t-shirt (nr 1 below, picture 3 above). Then sew one shoulder seam (nr 2 below). When using jersey fabrics, especially lace, it's always a good idea to reinforce the shoulder seams to prevent them from stretching out. I used lace elastic (picture 4 above). Simply sew it into the seam, at the same time pulling it slightly.
After the first shoulder seam, attach the armhole binding on that side (nr 3 below). Fold a strip of fabric in half and sew to the raw edge pulling it slightly as you go (picture 5 above). Then do the same with the neckline (nr 4 below).
Now sew the other shoulder seam (nr 5 below), then the other armhole (nr 6 below), an then the sideseams (nr 7 below). NB! If you're using the same method of binding for the hem, then sew one side seam, then the binding, and then the other side seam. If you're using a twin needle or a cover stitch to finish off the hem, do it before the side seams, or at the very end.

That's it really! Sound like a lot of steps at first, but after the first try, you'll be whipping up these babies in no time.

This t-shirt turned out to be the most comfortable t-shirt I own. I hope I can make a couple more in the course of the weekend.

Happy sewing, my friends!

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