Today I want to demonstrate how to take a classic fitting t-shirt pattern like the Jackson Tee and Pullover and make some simple changes to it to alter the fit into a more modern, boxy look. I love Jackson as-is, but I have many of them in my collection now and I’ve been craving a cute, oversized tee!
Psssst - Jackson is on sale right now for 20% off!
Quick Guide Tutorial
- Size up one or two sizes
- Lower the armscye ~1.25” (3.2 cm)
- Add ~1.25” (3.2 cm) on either side of the sleeve and straighten out the sleeve seam
- Lengthen the sleeve
- Crop the tee
- Make the neckband ~3/8” (1 cm) wider
For my altered Jackson, I started by sizing up 1 size. I usually make an 18, so I made a 20 for this one. You can size up two sizes if you want a really oversized look. The fabric I’m using is a really cool Art Gallery Fabrics cotton jersey.
Next, I lowered the armscye 1.25” (3.2 cm) and drew in a new armscye curve. Don’t be scared to try this, knits are very forgiving so you can play around with this and it will turn out just fine.
Add the same amount to either side of the sleeve. I also straightened out the sleeve seam to make the sleeves wider. This is optional. If making a pullover, you will want to taper down to the same cuff as before unless you want a balloon sleeve (like we did in this tutorial here).
In addition to these changes, I added some width to the neckband to make it a bit chunkier (3/8” or 1 cm). I added 1” (2.5 cm) to the sleeve length. I cropped the tee to fit on the small piece of jersey I wanted to use.
And that’s all the changes I made! It’s easy to alter the fit of a simple t-shirt like this and it offers you a totally different look. I hope you give this one a try.
Psssst - Jackson is on sale right now for 20% off!
