Sewing T-shirts: ABB Kid’s Tee Pattern by DIBY Club Review

This is my first attempt at a T-shirt pattern, as a person who used to fear sewing with knits. Well, not anymore! I made Anything But Basic Kid’s Tee pattern by DIBY Club. Here’s my experience making T-shirts for all three of my kids using this free pattern.

The ABB children’s T-shirt pattern is available in 12 kids sizes (18 months to 12 years) as a PDF download. It features a crew neck, three sleeve lengths (short, 3/4, long), and an optional chest pocket.

Related: Long sleeve peasant top for little girls (free pattern) / Easy kids shorts (free pattern)

In addition, this free T-shirt pattern includes the option to remove layers so you can print only the size you need (so helpful!).

I printed out the pattern at home on A4 sheets and taped them together. To be honest, I had no trouble piecing together this pattern, and I made 3 sizes – each time everything went well and fast. It’s definitely a beginner-friendly pattern.

I pretty much love the neckline finish – it stays flat, it’s clean and pretty, and I did not need to buy matching ribbing. I did not have any ribbing fabric at home, and I don’t like having to source a second fabric for a simple project like this.

Related: How to turn a T-shirt into a girls’ dress in 5 simple steps

Making these T-shirts with self-fabric (the same jersey as the rest of the shirt) was easy, quick and convenient.

Finding grainline on knit fabric

Also, I took this opportunity and learned, once and for all, how to find the grainline on knit fabrics. I made this visual, and I hope it helps everyone understand the grainline better.

Once you see those little v stitches make columns, you can’t unsee the grainline.

Related: Free knotted headband pattern and tutorial

Sewing knit fabric on a regular sewing machine 

Sewing T-shirts can and should be fun! Here’s my best tip for sewing with knit fabric.

I hope you notice the perfect straight stitches on my T-shirts – how did I get them?

The answer is simple: a 90/14 stretch needle. I’ve found that sometimes jersey needles don’t work with jersey fabric on my Heavy Duty Singer machine, but stretch needles always do. Skipped stitches are so annoying! And every so often adjusting the tension doesn’t help at all.

So that’s how I set myself up for success – always have jersey AND stretch needles on hand when I’m working with knit fabrics.

Kids’ T-shirt pattern by DIBY Club – review

I made these T-shirts in sizes 5, 6, and 11. All of them are a good fit, even though I made some rash decisions.

For my youngest child (aged 4), I chose a regular fit (with 3/4 sleeves) and decided to size up. As a result, her T-shirt is a bit large (no biggie here, she’ll get a lot of wear out of this cute T-shirt).

I loved sewing with this beautiful floral fabric!

For my middle child (aged 7), I chose a slim fit and decided to size down – big mistake, I still wonder what was I thinking.

Moreover, I removed 1 – 1 ½ inches from the bodice (because he’s shorter than average, but only a bit), only to regret it 10 minutes later.

His T-shirt came out too short for my liking. Fortunately, this is something I can easily fix by adding a banded hem.

He loves his camouflage T-shirt, but I can see him outgrowing it sooner than expected. Size 7 would have been a much better choice.

For my eldest daughter, I did everything alright – finally!

She is 11 years old, so I chose size 11, slim fit. Just perfect!

So, from my experience, I have found that the ABB T-shirt pattern runs true to size.

From now on, I’m going to stick with the slim fit for all my makes, as I like the semi-fitted look.

I will definitely be making this pattern again.

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