I might be biased, but I think my little great nephew is just the coolest showing off his muscles in his first Sprint Muscle Shirt. Want to keep your kids(grandkids) cool and comfortable all summer? ~~ then sprint over to Love Notions today and grab your Sprint Muscle Shirt for just $5! (Sale is 7/8/22 only)
Details
The Sprint Muscle Shirt is a traditional “muscle” shirt. It is basically like a regular Tee shirt, without the sleeves. Therefore, the armholes are much looser(deeper) than traditional sleeveless or tank shirts. The fit of the shirt is not too slim and not too baggy. This makes it the perfect shirt for hot and humid summers! For the littles, it also makes those little arms irresistibly cute! Although many might assume this is a boy’s pattern, it looks just as cute on girls! For older girls you may want to have them wear a cami or sports bra underneath. Be sure to search the Love Notions Facebook group for examples.
Features:
- Neckband or hooded option
- Color blocked or solid shirt option
- Great scrap buster!
- Beginner friendly
- Quick sew
- Easy to fit
Sizing
The Sprint is available in sizes 2T-14 (unisex sizing). Choose your child’s size based upon the chest measurement. If between sizes, it is recommended that you size down.
Lucas measured exactly a 3T. This is the size that I made for him. When purchasing RTW clothes, he is also wearing a 3T in most brands.
Fabrics and Notions
The Sprint is designed for light to midweight knit fabrics. Cotton jersey, athletic knit, trebled, baby French Terry and modal will all work nicely. Cotton lycra(what I used) will create a Sprint with a boxier look. Make sure the fabric for the bands has at least 40% stretch and good recovery.
The Sprint is a great scrap buster! Use up all those extra fabric pieces you have laying around!
For most of these Sprint shirts I used my stash of scraps. The fabrics are all from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. All are cotton lycra jersey. These designs are not currently on sale for retail, but are available through the Design Library. You may be able to find them on the Raspberry Creek Fabrics BST group on Facebook.
If you’re not familiar with Raspberry Creek Fabrics, you will find so many awesome designs perfect for all your needs! The Back To School line just released this week and the Fall designs will be coming next month!
No notions are required other than thread.
Batch Sewing the Sprint (along with some sewing tips)
What is Batch Sewing? This is when you sew multiple items of the same pattern at once. It is time efficient letting you cut down on sewing and pressing time. It helps to keep you from moving back and forth between your sewing machine and iron constantly.
I was able to make 5 Color Blocked Sprints, start to finish, in just one afternoon. This is how I made mine.
- I chose a thread color that would match all the Sprints I was making. Wind several bobbins before you begin.
- Cut out all pieces for all shirts(I was making 5 at once). You can layer your fabrics and cut more than one shirt out at a time. A nice sharp rotary cutter is perfect for this. it is also best to use pattern weight(nice heavy ones) instead of pins if you are cutting a few layers of fabrics.
- Pin and sew all neck and arm bands
- Fold and press all bands
- Baste the “V” on all the lower fronts, clip carefully to the V.
- Sew all yokes to the lower fronts
- Press and topstitch
- Pin and sew front to back at the shoulder seam. I know a lot of people use their serger for this step, but I prefer to sew this seam with my regular machine and then press the seam open in order to reduce bulkiness.
- Attach the neckbands with a stretch or zigzag stitch. Note: I always sew my neckbands on before sewing up the side seams. I find it easier to work with the shirt pieces open flat.
- Topstitch neckband- I use a zigzag stitch. You can use any stretch stitch or coverstitch if you have one.
- Serge all side seams. Press side seams towards back.
- Pin and sew armbands to shirt. Topstitch with a zigzag (stretch or overstitch)
- Hem. I press and pin all hems first, then sit to sew them all. I use a zigzag stitch, because I like the way it looks. You can use any stretch stitch or a coverstitch. A stretch stitch is important so that the hem threads don’t “pop”.
ready to sew
Thanks for stopping by! I truly appreciate all of you that visit! If you enjoyed this blog post, consider subscribing to my blog to stay up to date with all my posts!
Mary Anne 🙂
Remember to follow me over on Instagram to see all my latest makes! @sewmarymac
You can grab the Sprint Muscle Shirt HERE.
This is an affiliate link. It costs you nothing to purchase from this link, it just helps fund my fabric addiction which allows me to test and review more patterns.
To receive an additional 10% off the pattern price, use this coupon code MARYMAC10.This coupon code can be used at anytime on any pattern….even a $5 Feature Friday pattern. The best part is it never expires!!
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