How to Sew a Pullover Shirt
Pullover shirts are a popular item to sew at home due to the ease of their basic structure and the wide range of customization options for the collars and sleeves. They can be made for men, women or children; fabric options for pullover shirts are virtually limitless, and they can be a nice personalized addition to any wardrobe. Making your own pullover shirt can also save you the expense of purchasing them at retail price. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Sewing machine
- Pattern
- Fabric
- Ribbing
- Fabric marker
- Straight pins
- Tailor's chalk
- Thread
- Scissors
- Iron
Instructions
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1
Choose a fabric that you love. You can use patterned or solid-color fabrics, cotton blends or whatever suits your tastes, but knit fabrics, poplin or cotton-Lycra blends will give you a shirt that maintains its shape through multiple wears and washes. Purchase enough fabric to create the size of shirt you will be making, usually at least two yards of fabric.
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2
Select a pattern for your pullover. Local and online fabric stores carry a range of patterns that you can use. Lay your pattern pieces over the fabric and trace it with your fabric marker, allowing an extra 1/4-inch of fabric for your hems and seams. Cut out pieces for the front, back and each sleeve. Label each section appropriately with tailor's chalk. Run the edges of each section through the sewing machine, using a whip stitch, to finish the edges and prevent any unraveling.
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3
Pin your front and back sections together with the inside out. Sew them together, ideally using a running stitch or back stitch for both durability and flexibility. Remove the pins as you feed the material through the sewing machine.
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4
Use a running stitch to attach each sleeve. Sew a 1/4-inch hem at the bottom of each sleeve, and also at the bottom of your shirt. Trim away any stray threads.
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5
Add a collar. Ribbed collars are the most common collars for pullover shirts. With the shirt still inside-out, sew the collar onto the top of the shirt starting and finishing at the middle of the back section of your shirt.
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6
Turn your shirt right-side out and iron away any wrinkles. Make sure the iron is set to the right temperature for your fabric.
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Tips & Warnings
Save complicated collar style such as polo, drape or hooded collars for later after you have gotten some experience in the process and improved your sewing techniques. Also, consider using a thread in a contrasting color to sew your pullover together as this will give it a more individualized look.
References
- Photo Credit Goodshoot RF/Goodshoot/Getty Images
