Has anyone had any luck cutting off t-shirts and shortening them? I bought two that had a V in the front and shorter in the back. I love them but have never tried to do this myself. Machine or by hand???

I can never get them to lay flat after sewing on the machine...am I stretching or something. Maybe my machine doesn't like knit????

Linda, i know exactly what you mean. I like to shorten my t-shirts too, so they're right at the hip. I have a terrible time with knits, as you sew them, they stretch. This is what i was thinking of doing for next time. I think the hem on the shirt helps stabilize it, so the minute you cut that hem off, everything at the bottom just spreads. I am thinking next time, of cutting a long strip of paper, and pinning it to my new hemline, to stabilize it, then sew the hem, then rip off the paper. I think a strip of interfacing could work the same way too.

I am short waisted so I shorten alot of mine also. This is what I do, put it on and determine where I want the hem to be. Put some pins in and CAREFULLY take it off. Turn it inside out and put alot more pins in. Hem it, then cut the rest off. If you cut it before you hem I find it tends to roll up and is harder to hem.

Helpful information!

A couple of things I learned when sewing with t-shirt type knits:

One can sew them with a straight stitch machine- the Stretch and Sew classes suggested: turn up the hem just once - pin the hem up -
LENGTHEN the stitch - stretch gently while sewing - after sewing the fabric should flatten out and there will be some built-in stretch

Practice on the cut-off piece to see how it's behaving.

If you have a zig-zag machine, you can use the zig-zag stitch.

I think one can use a double-needle to hem them, but I have never done it, so can't tell you how that would work out

You can also hand hem them - just turn up ONCE -

If you use a short stitch, the fabric just puckers and lays wonky.

Could you cut strips of an interfacing with a little stretch to it and iron it around the tshirt just above the hem line. Wouldn't that act like a stabilizer?

Go to Search on here and type in "Hemming Jeans". There's a post on how to hem jeans and bill's bonbon has pictures of pajamas hemmed by that method on page 2. They appear to be knit fabric. Might work for a tee shirt.

I shorten my t-shirts all the time. After determining where I want the hem to be, I add 2" to that. I turn under 1/2", then turn 1 1/2" and stitch very close to the edge. This gives the hem some body so that it wont roll as with a smaller hem.

Good advise on the stretch slightly when stitching. Since the t-shirt will stretch when you are wearing it, you need to allow for that stretch or the stitches will break.

Use a ball-point needle or a microtex needle when you sew it. It will be less likely to break the fibers of the knit in the t'shirt.

M

I forgot about the ball-point needle or universal needle to help protect the fibers. Good tip.

One really does not have to turn a hem twice for most knits.

I prefer to avoid the extra bulk.