Before we get into the nitty gritty of the Jesse Sewalong, I wanted to share my opinions on the perfect fabric and notions for the Jesse. It's a super simple pattern and having the right fabric and notions will make the process even easier. Let's start with fabric.
FABRIC
Main Fabric
The Jesse recommends medium weight knit fabrics with 10% or more stretch such as cotton interlock, cotton/spandex blends, T-shirt jersey and merino wool jersey. Really keep drape in mind when choosing a fabric. More structured knits that hold their shape like 100% cotton knit will really show off the boxy cut as intended. I used the 100% cotton slub jersey and their matching rib knits from Isee Fabric for all of my model samples and it really is the perfect choice for this pattern.
Neckline Fabric
The pattern recommends a knit fabric with at least 50% stretch for the neckband. You can technically use any knit fabric, but I highly recommend rib knits if possible. The nice thing about rib knits is that they mostly hold their height when stretched. If you use a simple jersey for the neckband it will likely become a skinny neckband when stretched to fit. Lots of fabric stores now offer matching ribbing and knits, but you can also use contrasting rib knits for a fun look.
How to Check Stretch Percentage
Your main fabric needs at least 10% stretch and your neckband fabric needs at least 50% stretch. To check this, hold a 4" piece of fabric in your hands with your fingers clamping the ends. Hold the fabric against the stretch chart in your instructions over the the darkened black rectangle.
Pull the right end and stretch toward the right over the arrows. Your fabric needs to easily stretch to the coordinating percent markings to work for the Jesse.
NOTIONS
You just need a couple of notions to complete the Jesse Tee.
Sewing Machine Needle
Make sure that you use a stretch or ballpoint sewing machine needle in your sewing machine. These needles have a rounded end that protects the knit fabric when sewing. If you use a regular sewing machine needle you risk damaging your fabric and getting small holes.
Thread
Basic, all purpose thread is perfect for this project. I like Gutermann thread personally, but any matching all purpose thread will work.
Heat N Bond Soft Stretch (optional)
Completely optional, but Soft Stretch is something I always use when sewing knits these days. I use it on this pattern on the hems and it just stabilizes the fabric a bit and makes it so my hems don't grow when sewing them. The more stretchy and slinky your fabric, the more this helps. It's less necessary on more structured knits like the 100% cotton I will be using.
OK, that is it for today. We will be back tomorrow with the first day of the Jesse Sewalong.