How to Make Your Own Long Sleeve Tee Shirt

Long-sleeve T-shirts combine the comfort and convenience of a regular T-shirt with the extra warmth (or sun protection) of sleeves. If you just want to personalize a long-sleeve T-shirt, you can buy a plain long-sleeve T-shirt and decorate it. If you want to sew your own long-sleeve T-shirt, you can buy a long-sleeve T-shirt pattern, or cut apart an old T-shirt along the seams to use as a pattern. You can finish the ends of the long sleeves with simple hems, or with cuffs made from ribbing.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• T-shirt pattern
• Knit fabric
• Knit ribbing for collar
• Matching thread
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Iron
• Ironing board
• Sewing machine

Make a Long-Sleeve T-Shirt

1. Pick out a T-shirt pattern with long sleeves, or extend the short sleeves of a regular T-shirt pattern so they’re long enough to cover your arms. To use an old T-shirt as a pattern, cut the T-shirt apart at the seams and add 1/4" of extra fabric to each edge for seam allowance, and 1" extra along the lower edges of the T-shirt front, back and sleeves for hems.

2. Cut out the patterns, using the cutting lines for the size and style you need.

3. Pin the pattern pieces to the knit fabric. Depending on the pattern, you may need to fold the fabric in half right sides together and place some pieces on the fold. Cut out the pattern pieces.

4. Pin the front and back of the T-shirt right sides together. Sew the front and back of the T-shirt together along the shoulders and the sides below the armholes.

5. Pin the underarm edges of one T-shirt sleeve right sides together, then stitch the underarm seam. Turn the sleeve right-side out.

6. Put the sleeve inside one armhole of the T-shirt. Pin the upper edges of the sleeve to the armhole, with the fabrics right sides together. Stitch the sleeve to the armhole.

7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 for the other sleeve, then turn the T-shirt right-side out.

8. Hem the bottom of the T-shirt by folding the lower edge over 1/2" toward the inside of the shirt and pressing the fold flat. Fold the edge over another 1/2" and press it flat again. Topstitch the fold in place using matching thread.

9. Trim the ribbing if needed to make it 1/2" wider and longer than you want the finished collar to be. Sew the short ends of the ribbing together.

10. Pin the unfinished edge of the ribbing to the top of the T-shirt neck opening. Stitch the ribbing to the T-shirt using a 1/2" seam allowance, then turn the ribbing right-side up and press the seam flat. Topstitch along the seam to hold the ribbing in place if needed.

11. Finish the ends of the sleeves by hemming them (the same way you hemmed the lower edge) or by adding cuffs made from ribbing (the same way you added the collar). If you choose cuffs, you may need to shorten the ends of the sleeves first so that the cuffs will make the sleeves the right length.

Tips & Warnings

• When working with stretchy knit fabrics, pin the pieces together before sewing them and guide them gently through the sewing machine, without pushing, pulling or stretching them out of shape.
• To add a pocket to the front of the T-shirt, cut a piece of fabric 1/2" bigger on each side than you want the finished pocket to be. Turn the edges of the pocket under 1/2" and press the folds flat. Stitch across the top fold. Pin the pocket to the front of the shirt and stitch around the edges, taking care not to sew the shirt shut.
• Use caution when working with scissors, pins, irons and sewing machines.