My favorite t-shirt patterns.

With Blake coming out, I knew I had a good excuse to find the perfect t-shirt pattern. It turns out, there are many.

To be completely honest, I was never much of a t-shirt wearer before I started making my own t-shirts. Looking back, it makes total sense. Store-bought t-shirts just never really fit me right. You’d think there would be more leniency with t-shirts given the fact that the stretch is forgiving, but that’s never been the case for me. There’s something about a t-shirt that makes me want a better balance between fit, fabric and cut–even more so than what I desire from woven tops. I’m not sure why. Having said that, I don’t think that sewing your own t-shirt should be scary. In many ways they’re easier to take in and make adjustments to. Plus, there are TONS of good patterns and resources out there, and this list just touches on some of them. Maybe one or some will work for you?

Here are some of my faves.

My first two faves cover two very important bases–a fitted t-shirt and a roomy t-shirt. They are Rio by Seamwork and the Basic Tee by Seamly.

This is a Rio in Robert Kaufman speckle cotton jersey. The only alteration made to this pattern was to straighten the hem, rather than do the high/low thing. I wear this speckle version so often that it was the first thing I sewed up with blake.

You can see another version of Rio in the Blake Lookbook on the lovely Vanessa.

The Basic Tee by Seamly is another favorite. Whereas the Rio is a more fitted tee, the Basic Tee by Seamly is more relaxed and has a pocket.

This version is also in Robert Kaufman’s speckle cotton jersey, and I wear it all the time. It’s kind of become my unofficial airport uniform. You’d think that I’d change it up, but I just love this one so much.

I haven’t made one of these in blake yet, but it’s on the agenda. I made sure to cut some pieces out when I was prepping for Quilt Market. It will be happening…

Next up, we can talk about Jane by Seamwork. This is a pattern I was eager to try, and I’ll admit, I wasn’t thrilled with the fit right off the bat, but after some modifications to the neckline (I lowered it quite a bit) and length (I shortened it quite a bit), I’m very in love with this shirt. (By the way, I was wearing this guy on day 1 of Quilt Market.)

I think this type of shirt would be perfect for some fun appliqué or other personalization and detailing. Seamwork did a good job of showing some of those possibilities off.

We can’t talk about t-shirts without talking about Grainline’s Linden, which I know, is a sweatshirt…but in the right weight, it is also the perfect t-shirt.

This one (seen in the Blake Lookbook) is View B of the pattern which features short sleeves, shorter bodice length and no sleeve or bodice bindings. It’s really great.

A long-sleeved version is pretty great too.

I love a jersey-weight Linden because it’s perfect for layering. I have several others that I wear often, so it’ll be good to get this one in the rotation.

Also in the Grainline family is Lark. I don’t have one (yet) in blake, but I’m sure it’ll happen at some point. Lark is fabulous basic t-shirt with tons of handy adaptations available for you with different sleeve lengths, neck lines, cardigan variations, etc.

Oh, and the Hemlock tee by Grainline too! It’s actually a free pattern if you sign up for their newsletter. It’s single-sized–so heads up on that. You’ll maybe need to make some fit adjustments. I made one, but need to take some pics. (In the meantime you can see mine here and here posted by JanieLou.) I LOVE this top and have already been wearing it a lot. As for the fit, I did have to tinker around a bit as the one size that it comes in isn’t my size, but if you have some experience, it’s not too tricky. And knit is forgiving.

Next up is the Wanderlust Tee by Fancy Tiger Crafts. (You can actually watch how to make this on CreativeBug here. Even though I’ve sewn knits many times before, I learned a lot watching this video and others by Fancy Tiger.)

This t-shirt is comfy, and I like the style. It features a slightly dropped sleeve (which is a little easier to install if you are fearful of sewing in sleeves) and a curved hem. The version is drafted to be kind of cropped, so I’ve lengthened all versions that I’ve made. This version in blake is maybe the 3rd that I’ve made so far…clearly, I’m a fan of this pattern.

What’s nice about any t-shirt is that you can switch up the collar and/or pocket with another fabric for a nice little change of pace. Here’s another Wanderlust Tee doing just that.

Hopefully this list isn’t too overwhelming for you. I know that there is a lot out there, which is why I thought it would be useful to report in on some of my findings. Plus, the sheer amount represented here is a testament to how speedy knits can be to sew up. With knit stuff, it’s not uncommon for me to cut out and sew up multiples at once.

Do you have any favorite t-shirt patterns? Please feel free to leave a comment and share!