I’ve never sewn a t-shirt before and would like to know if it is possible to use a bias strip of the cotton knit fabric I’m using for the body of my t-shirt for the collar instead of ribbing.. and if so do I use the same math for the length of that strip as I would if I was using ribbing?
I can’t find any ribbing to match it.. and don’t particularly want to use a different color or dye anything to try and match it. Just wondering if anyone has ever tried this..
Thanks!
Replies
Hi. You can substitute the knit fabric for ribbing assuming the faric has good crosswise stretch. It's been awhile since I've done it, but I remember cutting the fabric for the substitute ribbing on the cross grain, not on the bias, and folding it over so the long edges meet. You then treat this folded over strip as the ribbing. You need to cut the length of the strip shorter than the garment's overall neckline and stretch the strip as you apply to fit the garment neckline. I'm not sure how much shorter the strip should be - maybe an inch and a half for just an ordinary jewel neckline. It's probably trial and error.
There was a very good article in THREADS on tee shirts some time within the past two years, I think. Maybe someone remembers which issue. If not, I can dig for it. According to the article, there is a particular way to distribute the stretch of the strip when it's applied to the neckline. Some places get more stretch than others. I didn't know that when I did it, but mine seemed to come out pretty well.
Barbara
Just another thought on substituting tee shirt fabric for ribbing on a tee shirt neckline. The garment neckline would have to be large enough to easily fit over your head - like a scoop or V neck. A regular tee shirt neck would probably stretch out of shape and not recover the way it would if you used ribbing.
Thanks for all the great tips! I also saw a little video on how to cut the 'ribbing' , measure it and attach it to the neckline.. on this site.. great help!!
Diane
Excellent! I didn't know that video was there. I just went back and watched it.
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