LWR KITS
Baby Gown from T-shirts
CUTTING
Cut the t-shirt through the neck ribbing, along the shoulder seam, and around the sleeves. Fold the body of the shirt, with the folds at the center front and center back. Place the patterns on the shirt along the fold lines (figure 1). Extend the length of the gown as far as the t-shirt you’re working with will allow (smaller sized t-shirts will necessitate a shorter gown). Measure the length of both the front and back prior to cutting, and mark the length down to the outside corner with a marker or fabric chalk. Make a parallel mark at the fold line. Cut around the pattern and your markings. Cut the sleeves from the t-shirt sleeves, using the original hem. (That will not work for the body of the gown, as the bottom edge will be a curve.) If using yard goods instead of t-shirts, be sure the stretch of the fabric is going around the body or sleeve. This pattern will not work with woven or non-stretchy fabrics.
SEWING
Make a 1/4” hem along the upper edge of both the front and back. It is only necessary to turn the fabric once, as t-shirt knits will not ravel (neck). Sew the hem with a zig-zag or decorative stitch, so it will have some stretch. You can also add a small piece of iron-on interfacing to the corners to ease hemming.
Right sides out, overlap the back shoulder extensions (B) over the front shoulder extensions (A), matching shoulder notches (figure 2). The back/wrong side of tab B should lay over the front/right side of tab A, with notches matched. (If you hold the front and back pieces together, matching underarms, the back neck will be higher than the front, which will help you identify which tab should lay on top.) Baste the pieces together along the shoulder edge (where the notches are) to hold in place while finishing sleeves.
Right sides together, match the sleeve notch with the shoulder notch. There is no right/left sleeve — either one fits either side. Pin the remainder of the sleeve, and stitch with a 1/4” seam (figure 3). Use a straight stitch and then go back and zig-zag over the seam allowances, or use a stretch stitch if your machine has one. If the sleeve doesn’t fit, trim away the extra width.
Using a 1/4” seam allowance and zig-zag stitch, hem the sleeves if not cut with original hem. Using a 1/4” seam allowance and a straight stitch, sew side seams and under arms. Hem the bottom of the gown using a zig-zag, decorative or other stretch stitch that will allow the fabric to stretch.
