Fast, Flat Serger T-Shirt And Sewing Machine Tips Too!

Brother Ambassador

Are you ready to learn more about stitching a t-shirt with a serger? Recently, I demonstrated the fast, flat method for serging a T-shirt on the Sewing Machines Plus Sew Fest GRAND FINALE Friday show. You can CLICK HERE to watch my one hour long serger segment on the SMP YouTube channel.

Using the Brother Airflow 3000 serger, I stitched the shirt from start to finish in less than one hour! You can too, if you're familiar with the basics on your own serger model and follow my instructions.

During the show I promised more info and resources for you so here we go!

First things first, I have a complete T-Shirt tutorial archived on the Brother blog. In this tutorial you'll see detailed photos of the stitches and what they look like on the actual fabric. You'll find a link later in this post. Here's what the finished T-shirt in the tutorial looks like:

I stitched the hem of the sleeves and the bottom using a blind hem foot for the serger and a stitch called a flatlock stitch. Take a look at the serger blind hem foot below. If this was not included with your machine, chances are you can purchase one as an optional accessory.

A flatlock setting is commonly used to join two pieces together, but it works equally as well as a blind hem stitch on the serger, especially when combined with the blind hem foot which makes it easy to guide the folded hem under the foot, keeping it in line with the guide for even stitching. A flatlock can be accomplished using two or three threads. I used the three thread stitch. Check your manual for flatlock settings. Generally, the left needle is set for zero, the upper looper stays about the same as it is for a balanced stitch, and the lower looper is relatively tight. Practice on scraps before starting your project.

Here's what the flatlock stitch should look like on the top side of the stitch:

Here's what it should look like on the bottom side:

The "V" shaped stitch you see is formed by the loose needle thread. This is essential for allowing the stitch to be pulled flat. I used contrasting thread so you could readily see what it looks like but of course you would want to match your fabric as close as possible. Here is what the finished hem looks like on the outside of the T-Shirt:

And here is what it looks like on the wrong side:

You can follow all the steps for constructing the T-Shirt found in the tutorial HERE.

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Now for a few more tips!

During the show I showed how my hem was stabilized prior to stitching with a strip of fusible interfacing. I cut one inch wide strips of tricot knit type interfacing, cutting them along the "stretchiest" grain of the interfacing.

Links to my favorite "knit interfacings are as follows:
Pellon SK135 - Fusible lightweight tricot with crosswise stretch and no stretch lengthwise. 
Pellon EK130 – Fusible, standard weight tricot. Same characteristics and use as above.
Pellon 460 - Very lightweight knit stabilizer with multi-directional stretch. (My favorite)

I fuse these strips to my knit hems, then turn up and press the one inch hem before hemming. This works well for hems that are topstitched with a twin needle, cover-hem machine, a stretch stitch on your machine, or the serger style blind hem.

Below are pictures of an alternative T-Shirt hem with the hem stabilized with fusible tricot then stitched using a stitch on my machine that is not only pretty but has a bit of stretch. Note: Be sure to use a stretch needle size 11 for sewing knits on your sewing machine.

You can watch a video with more details for using this method, along with an alternative idea for stitching a neckline on a knit T-Shirt HERE on my YouTube Channel. This technique adds an elegant touch to a knit top! This video also includes tips for sewing a knit top on your standard sewing machine.

Pattern Tips

For the Sewing Machines Plus show, I used Jalie pattern 2805.

The 1/4-inch seam allowance included in this pattern makes it ideal for stitching with the serger. Take care to find fabric that meets the stretch requirements for this pattern. I always try to make a test garment when using a new pattern. Once I perfect the fit, I'm likely to use it over and over again so I transfer my perfected pattern to pattern transfer cloth such as Swedish Tracing Cloth, or Pellon 830 Easy Pattern.

For sizing my tiral garment, I like to pick my size using the measurements closest to my body, then add additional seam allowance so I have a total of 1-inch for side seams and corresponding sleeve seams, then I baste the seam at the one inch seamline, try on and adjust as necessary. That additional seam allowance can make or break the project as it's easier to take in that it sometimes is to let out a seam.

I hope this gives you some inspriation to make your own knit T-Top! If you'd like more serger sewing inspiration, check out this former live Q&A show titled What Can a Serger Do For You? on my YouTube channel HERE.

Oh wait! Just one more link to a serger Do's and Don'ts post. You'll find it HERE on my site.

As always, I welcome your questions and comments!