Since November 1st, Japan is ready for Christmas! Every single shop is displaying Christmas decorations, flower shops sell wreaths and Christmas trees - madness! Yet it is still 20C and people are wearing t-shirts!

My growing interest in knits could not be outshone even by couture sewing. During the week at the seminar, everybody (including Susan) was wearing knits on a daily basis. Nobody can deny that knits are much more comfortable for an active lifestyle; they don't need to be perfectly fitted, they are easy to look after and not difficult to sew. I asked Susan many questions about knits but she does not sew with them much and suggested that I take a Craftsy lesson or read books regarding this subject. When I returned home from New York, I purchased  this wonderful book by Kerstin Martensoon, It's easy to sew knit and stretch fabric.

This book helped to dispel a couple of myths about sewing with knits which I had previously believed, such as the idea that one should only sew knits with specific thread for knits, and that a serger provides a better finish. As a test knit garment, I took on this t-shirt from the HomeSewn book which I previously reviewed here. The design is very simple: one front piece and one back piece with integrated sleeves + bias binding around the neck.


The only two changes I added to the S size was to lengthen sleeves and bodice by 2cm each. I used mainly zigzag and tricot stitches and I finished the hems with a double needle. For the bias binding, I used pre-made band. Only after I started attaching the band did I realize that my t-shirt looked like the American flag, but I hope it's not that bad after all.

Sticker shop in our neighborhood