With chilly days upon us, I thought I would make some more shirts that are great for layering. This Agnes Jersey Top sewing pattern by Tilly & the Buttons is one of my favorites.
There is much information on the world wide web on how to sew a shirt using a home sewing machine (see links at the end). However, there is not much on using a serger and coverstitch machine. So I'll be covering that in this blog post and share some of my sewing tips.
Printing the Pattern
I bought the digital version of this pattern a while ago. I printed it at home on 8.5" x 11" paper. It was straight forward to put together. I plan on making lots of these, so to make the pattern sturdier, I glued it on to poster paper. I used a pattern notcher to cut the notches. This makes marking my fabric so much easier.
When the pattern is thicker, the chalk just seems to glide easily around the pattern. I hold it down with a weight, trace it, then remove the pattern, pin all around, and cut my pieces out.
Sleeves
I used some stay tape for the shoulder seems to keep them from stretching. I used my serger for this step. 4 threads, each one set to 3.
I'm not a big fan of pinning. But when working with jersey or stretchy fabric, I find pins are essential. I first pinned the mid point and notches. Then eased in the rest of the sleeve.
Next, was the side seam.
Neckband
I serged the short end, right sides together.
Then folded in half and pinned it into quarters.
I pinned the neckline into quarters. This helped me estimate how to pin the neckline evenly.
Time to serge!
Hemming and Final Details
For the last few steps, I used a coverstitch machine. I used the left two needles, set to 4, 4, 6.5. For the neckline I sewed right under the seam. That is just my preference.
For the hems, I folded the fabric 3/4", pinned, and then sewed with the coverstitch.
Right side facing up. I like to follow the edge of the foot, but for a wider hem you can use one of the other guides.
No worries about the blue ink marks. I used a washable pen, so it comes right off with water. What I love about the coverstitch, is you get a zig zagy stitch on the back which allows for the fabric to stretch without popping any stitches.
I like to trim the little bit of excess fabric.
On the front side you get two (or three) nice, evenly spaced straight stitches.
I hemmed the sleeves in the same way.
I was very pleased with how everything turned out. I hope you enjoyed this blog post about my experience sewing the Agnes pattern by Tilly and the Buttons. If you would like to try it out, click on the links below. I am not affiliated with them, but I do love this pattern.
Let me know your thoughts and tips in the comments.
Happy Sewing!