Ringer Tee Sewing Tutorial

A seventies style at its finest, the ringer tee is easy to make from any t-shirt pattern. I’ve done this technique for myself and my kids, using Jalie, KwikSew, and Ottobre. The example tee is an Ottobre pattern from 2/2007.

You can see how I sew the neckline binding here. Sew the sleeve and side seams. For the sleeves, I use pretty much the same technique.

1. Cut a strip of ribbing (I sometimes use cotton lycra instead of ribbing). I cut mine1 3/8″ wide. Make sure the binding is straight on the grain–if it’s not, then it will not work as well; it may twist and get all wonky. The length should be the arm circumference plus 1 to 2″.

2. Fold and press the binding in half lengthwise. Unfold and sew the ends together to form loops.

3. Press seam allowances open and re-press the lengthwise folds.

4. Divide the bindings into 4 equal parts and mark with pins or with a fabric marker. Divide and mark the sleeve into 4 equal parts (quarters).

5. Pin the binding to the sleeves at these quarter points, right sides together. The binding should be slightly smaller in circumference than the sleeve.

6. Sew together with a 3/8″ seam allowance, keeping the raw edges together and stretching the binding to fit each section. Remember to remove pins when they approach the presser foot, and be careful to only stretch the binding, not the sleeve fabric.

7. Serge the seam allowances.

8. With an iron, press the seam allowances toward the sleeve. Use a stretch twin needle to top stitch the binding and sleeve. While the twin needle is still set up, hem the shirt.

Your sweet ringer tee is done. The stretch twin needle is a great way to give your knits a polished look. It’s easy to use, too. For more help setting up your machine for sewing with a twin needle, look at this post. If the machine is not threaded properly, you may end up with a lot of broken threads and/or needles.

Enjoy!