
This ports the docs for the following designs: breanna, bruce, cathrin, florence, florent , hugo, lily, lunetius, onyx, opal, paco, sandy, shelly, shin, sven, tamiko, teagan, iberius, trayvon, wahid, walburga, and yuri. Also adds a prebuild step to build the options umbrella pages. and includes some CSS tweaks.
170 lines
6.7 KiB
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170 lines
6.7 KiB
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---
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title: 'Shelly shirt: Sewing Instructions'
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sidebar_label: Sewing Instructions
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sidebar_position: 20
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---
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## Before you start
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### Sewing tips
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The use of a serger or an overlocking foot is recommended, to keep the size of
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the finished seams small. If using a serger, a seam allowance of 1/2 inch (12
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mm) is recommended. If using an overlocking foot on a sewing machine, or
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serging without the use of the knife, a seam allowance of 1/4 inch (6 mm) is
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recommended.
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All seams, including the neckband, can be done with the same stitch, whether it
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be a serger, an overlock stitch, or a stretch stitch.
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Hems are optional (since knit doesn't fray), but if you do make hems, make sure
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they can stretch.
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Make sure to use a stitch that can stretch. If sewing stretch fabric, adjust
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your tension to allow for extra stretch. On a serger, this will usually mean
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lowering the needle tension, especially the right needle, and adjusting the
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looper tension as needed to keep the stitch looking decent. On a regular sewing
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machine, lower the tension. Test your choice of stitch first on scrap fabric,
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and try to shape the test seam by stretching the seam along its length. It
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should only snap after stretching quite a bit. If it pops too easily, keep
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playing with your stitches/tension settings until you get something that can
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survive some abuse.
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For making t-shirts or other shirts with 2-way stretch, regular settings with a
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stitch that stretches should be fine.
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### Customizing and fitting your pattern
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#### Select an appropriate sleeve length
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- 10-30% for short sleeves.
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- 75% for 3/4 length sleeves.
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- 100% for long sleeves (to the wrist).
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- 115% is a good value if making a shirt with thumb holes (extends to the
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knuckles)
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When in doubt, it's a lot easier to shorten a sleeve than to lengthen it.
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#### Select an appropriate body length
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- Up to 80% or so will produce a crop top.
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- 100% ends at top of the hip bone.
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- 120% will produce a typical t-shirt.
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- 140% will produce a somewhat longer shirt that is less prone to untucking
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or riding up.
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- 200%+ can be used to make a simple t-shirt dress. It's suggested that you
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set straight sides to false, and adjust the side shape (under advanced
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options) for t-shirt dresses.
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When in doubt, it's a lot easier to shorten shirt than to lengthen it.
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### Decide on fit
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Figure out what kind of fit you want and set your eases accordingly. Make
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sure you have an appropriate fabric. If in doubt, making the shirt too loose
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is safer than too tight.
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In general, when working with spandex, you want 0% to negative ease. When
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working with ordinary cotton/polyester t-shirt fabric, you want positive
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ease, both because the fabric stretches less, and because typical styles
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using that fabric are looser.
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#### Sensory compression shirts
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These will be the tightest / have the most negative ease.
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- 4-way stretch fabric is required. Swim fabric or another very stretchy
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fabric is strongly recommended.
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- Chest ease: -30% to -20%. This is the most important part to compress for
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sensory purposes, and is a relatively safe place to put tension.
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- Sleeve ease: -20% to -10%. Compression here can be beneficial, but you
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don't want it so tight that you cut off circulation.
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- Wrist ease: -15% to 0%. Mostly preference.
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- Neck ease: 25% to 100% (25% will still be a very snug neckband that will
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take some stretching to get on/off the head, because of how the neckband
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is constructed and because neckholes usually are quite a bit bigger than
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the neck to fit over the head.
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#### Athletic shirt
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- The author hasn't made one yet. If someone knows what eases to use, please
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let me know.
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- Highly breathable fabric with some spandex/stretch is recommended.
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- Eases are somewhere between those for a compression shirt and a swim shirt.
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#### Swim shirt
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This is a looser fitting stretch shirt meant for swimming.
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- Swim fabric (spandex/nylon blend or spandex/polyester blend, around 20%
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spandex)
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- Chest ease: ~0%
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- Sleeve ease: 0-15%
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- Neck ease: 50 to 150% (mostly a style decision). Ease under 50% isn't
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recommended unless you like very snug neckbands.
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#### T-shirt
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- The author hasn't made one yet. If someone knows what eases to use, please
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let me know.
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- Eases will be quite a bit more larger (more positive) than for other shirt
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types.
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#### Sweatshirt
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- The author hasn't made one yet. If someone knows what eases to use, please
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let me know.
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- Eases will be similar to that for a t-shirt, or a little larger.
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## Step 1: Forming the body and attaching the sleeves
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- With _good sides together_, sew the front piece to each sleeve along the
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raglan seam (the diagonal seam running from the neck to the armpit).
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- With _good sides together_, sew the back piece to each sleeve along the
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raglan seam. You should now have a single piece with a circular neck hole in
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the middle.
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## Step 2: Attaching the neckband
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- With _good sides together_, fold the neckband in half long ways (so it's half
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as long) and sew it into a loop.
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- With _wrong sides together_, fold the neckband in half short ways (so it's
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half as wide).
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- Turn the shirt _good-side_-out
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- Mark the quarter points on your neckband with ball point pins, clips, or
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chalk.
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- Do the same around the neck hole, marking the center of the front, the center
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of the back, and the midpoints on either sleeve.
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- With _good sides together_, line up the unfinished edges of the neckband with
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the edge of the neck hole, and line up the quarter points of the neckband
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with the quarter points of the neck hole. Stretch the neckband as needed to
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have all the points line up. Pin or clip the neckband around the neck hole.
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- Sew carefully around the neck hole, making sure to sew through all 3 layers.
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- Turn the neckband over. It should lay flat.
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## Step 3: Closing the sleeves and sides
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- Turn the shirt inside-out.
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- With _good sides together_, place the front and back pieces together and
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pin/clip their sides together.
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- With _good sides together_, close the sleeve and pin/clip it along the sleeve
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seam.
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- You should have a single seam prepared, going from the end of the sleeve to
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the bottom hem of the body.
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- Sew it shut.
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- Repeat for the other side.
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## Step 4: (Optional) Hemming
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- Hem the sleeves and/or the bottom of the shirt using a single-fold hem. Using
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a twin needle will add some stretch to the stitching, but in either case the
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use of a stretch stitch is still recommended for high-stretch fabrics.
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- Alternatively, you can overlock or serge the raw edge _without_ folding it
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over to give it a little bit of substance without adding as much bulk as a
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folded hem, or you can make a rolled hem.
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- Or you can leave the edges unfinished, particularly if it's swim fabric or
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some other fabric that does not fray at all.
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## Step 5: Enjoy your new shirt!
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- It's time to take your new shirt for a swim, or to show it off at the beach!
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