‘

Zee’ s T e e

Diva pattern
a tie dye
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

Materials:

• Knit fabrics, standard 58” – 60” wide, with a minimum of 25% stretch: Jersey,
interlock, french terry, thermal, rib knit:

• Neckband: 1/8 yard:

same-fabric OK if it has at
least 75% stretch and
good recovery; otherwise,
ribbing, or another fabric
with 75% to 100% stretch.

• Notions recommended for

sewing knits: 3/8” clear
elastic or stay tape for
stabilizing shoulder
seams; ballpoint needles;
100% polyester thread;
fusible sewing tape such as Wash Away Wonder Tape ™; stabilizer for pocket
Size Child Child
Choose a size: Body Chest Body Height
For best fit, choose a size based on the chest
12-18 mo. 19”–19.5” 29”–31”
measurement, and increase or decrease length
18-24 mo. 19.5”–20.5” 31”–33”
and sleeve length as needed. Zee’s tee is an
2 20.5”–21” 33”–36”
easy-fitting style, size down if between sizes.
3 21”–22” 36”–39”
4 22”– 23” 39”–42”
5 23”– 24” 42”–45”
6/6X 24”–25.5” 45”–49”
7/8 25.5”– 27” 49”–54”
9/10 27”–28.5” 54”–57”
11/12 28.5”–30.5” 57”–60”

2
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

Print and Assemble the Pattern:

The pattern pages are numbered sequentially 12-
36 and form a 5 x 5 grid. You may find it easiest
to assemble if you print them all and save the
ones you’re not using for another time. But, you
don’t need to print all the pattern pages if you
don’t want to, quick print page guide is below.

Pocket Tee:
Sizes 12-18 months through 4T: pages 12-19
Sizes 5 and up: pages 12-19 and 22-24

Yoke Tee:
Sizes 12-18 months through 2T:
pages 14-16; 19; 25-26; 30; 35
Sizes 3 and up:
pages 14-16; 19; 25-26; 30-31; 35-36

Colorblock Tee all sizes: 14-16; 19, 25-29, 32-34

Also print for long sleeves:

Sizes through 7/8: pages 20-21
Sizes 9/10 and 11/12: pages 20-21 and 25-26

Be sure the pattern is opened with Adobe Reader (and not any other PDF viewer) and:
• “Print Scaling” (also called “Page Scaling”) is set to “none”
• “Auto Portrait/Landscape” IS selected
• “Fit to Page” or “Shrink” is NOT checked. (should be “Actual Size” or Scaling=100%)

To print only the size you need, use the “Layers” tab on the left of your
Adobe PDF reader screen. Deselect the sizes you don’t need so that only
the size(s) you want to print and the "Leave Selected – All Sizes" layers
remain showing.

Verify that the 1” box is measuring correctly. Overlap the pages so that the black triangles
meet to form a diamond and tape into place. You can place them on a window, or cut or fold
along the edge of the triangles – you only need to do this for one in each pair of diamonds.
Don’t miss the Pink Pin Tip below for a timesaving method to try!

Quick Pattern Assembly: Keep the pages in

the order they come off the printer. Align them
all neatly, then use an old rotary cutter (not
the same one you use for fabric!) to cut off
one short and one long edge of the pages at
the gray dashed line, right through the center of the black diamonds. (I’ve
cut off the bottom and right edges in the photo.) Now you can overlap
these cut edges onto the page with its coordinating half-diamond and
easily tape or glue them.

Cut on the solid or dotted lines for the size and style you have
chosen. Seam and hem allowances are already included.
3
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

Tips for Sewing with Knit Fabric.

Experienced with knit and want to just get sewing? Skip to Cut the Fabric on page 7.

Choosing Knit Fabric:

To determine the percentage stretch of your fabric, pinch your fabric in two places, at 0”
and at 4”, with the stretchiest direction of the fabric between your hands. Stretch the
fabric until your feel resistance, but not so much that you are harming the fabric. For this
pattern, you must be able to stretch your 4” piece at least 1”. (1/4 = 25%). The knit
below stretches from 4” to 6”, so 2” of stretch, or 50%.

Sewing Knit Fabric:

v Wash and dry your fabric before sewing. Don’t skip this step no matter how
excited you are to get sewing, knit shrinks a lot, especially in length!

v Cutting. Before you cut, be sure you know the direction of stretch and the right
side from the wrong side of your fabric. As with woven fabrics, the grain on knit
fabrics runs parallel to the selvedge. The stretchiest direction of most knits runs
perpendicular to the selvedge, or on the “cross grain”, so you want to be sure to
cut your pattern pieces so the greatest stretch runs across the width of the
pattern pieces.

v Taming Troublesome Knits. If you are new to knits, choose interlock or rib knit
for the easiest sew. Jersey makes wonderful tees but tends to curl at the edges
and sewing machines love to “eat” thinner knits. If you find your fabric is getting
punched down into the throat plate at the beginning of a seam you can slip a little
piece of stabilizer beneath the fabric for the first few stitches, or you can start
your seam a half inch or so away from the edge, then turn the fabric over at the
end of your seam to finish off that half inch. Also, be sure you are using the
correct needle for your fabric weight and type.

4
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

v Notions. Use 100% polyester thread, which will stretch along with your fabric;
cotton thread has a tendency to break. Also, use ball point sewing machine
needles. Hem tape such as Wash Away Wonder Tape is very helpful when
hemming. Stabilizer, either wash away or tear away, is helpful if you are adding
the pocket. It’s also recommended to stablize shoulder seams with clear elastic,
or stay tape.

v Seams and hems. Seams

sewn on knit must stretch
along with the fabric, or the
threads risk breakage. Regular
straight stitches are more
prone to breaking: zigzag
stitch, stretch stitch, triple stitch
and serger overlocking are
some stitches for seams that
have built-in stretch.

Sewing a test seam with your preferred stitches on a swatch of your fabric is a
good idea. Sew two swatches of your fabric together, then open the seam and tug
on the fabric both lengthwise and crosswise. If the stitches hold and do not pop,
you have a chosen a good stitch for your fabric.

Hems must also stretch. A narrow zigzag that goes right off the raw edge is a
good choice for securing a hem; you can also use a stretch stitch, triple stitch or
twin needle. Of course, you can also use a coverstitch machine if you have one.

You’ll need to use one of these stretching stitches for all steps of this project
except the pocket. The photo diagrams will remind you by showing a stitching line
that looks like this:

It doesn’t mean to make your stitches as wide and zigzaggy as you see, just to
use a stretching stitch along the seams or hems shown. Be sure the inner swing
of your zigzag stitch is at the 3/8” mark to maintain the pattern’s 3/8” seam
allowance. This is especially important when making the Yoke or Colorblock
versions.

5
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

Repurposing/Upcycling Tips

Repurposing or upcycling old shirts is a great way to come up with knit fabric for Zee’s
Tee! The Colorblock option is specially designed so you can easily use a screenprint,
applique or other motif from an existing tee.

Your old tee needs to have a seam-free area that fits on one of the Colorblock Tee’s
Front Panels (Left or Right). You can even use the existing hem if it is close to 5/8” inch
shorter than the pattern piece (because 5/8” is the pattern’s hem allowance). If it’s a bit
shorter than that, say within ½” to 1”, it is still probably ok unless your child is very tall
because the shirt has some built in growing room.

If you use the existing hem, you’ll want to match and hem all the panels before you
construct the shirt. Line up the top edge of the “new fabric” panel with the old shirt
panel, and turn the hem up on the new fabric to match the old shirt’s hem.

Press well, trim any excess beyond 5/8” (you can see I have some in the photo), and
sew the hem into place. Then, begin Step 1 of the instructions starting with Piece the
Shirt Front and Back.

6
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

Cut the Fabric: Cut from your prewashed and dried fabric:

Pocket Tee: Front, Back, Pocket, Neckband, Sleeves

Yoke Style: Front Yoke, Back Yoke, Front and Back Bottom, Neckband, Sleeves
Colorblock Style: Front Yoke, Back Yoke, Front and Back Left, Front and Back
Right, Neckband, Sleeves.

Mix and match the pattern pieces! You can

make your shirt front a 3-fabric pieced
Colorblock style with the Yoke and Left/Right
pieces but make the back from the Yoke
Back/Yoke Bottom for a 2-fabric back, or even
the Pocket Tee back for a single fabric back.

Transfer the colored marks at Center Front, Center Back and Center Sleeve,
also mark the Front and Back of the Sleeve cap (a traditional way to do this is
make two marks or clips for the Back and one for the Front). Transfer the line
indicating placement for the top corners of the pocket, color coded by the size
you are making.

Sew: Use a 3/8” seam allowance throughout.

1. (Yoke and Colorblock Styles Only): Piece the Shirt Front and Back.

Take care with your seam allowance when piecing, even a little more or less can
result in a mismatch between yoke and bottom, or sleeves and armholes.

For the Colorblock style, lay the Front Left and Front
Right with right sides together and long straight edges
aligned. Sew the seam; you have created the Front
Bottom. Repeat for Back Left and Back Right to create
the Back Bottom. Optionally, topstitch these seams with
a stretching stitch.

For both Yoke and Colorblock style, lay Front Top and
Front Bottom with right sides together and top/bottom
edges aligned. Sew the seam. Repeat for Back Top
and Back Bottom. Optionally, topstitch these seams
with a stretching stitch.

7
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

2. (Pocket Tee only) Create and Attach the Pocket. Seam tape and stabilizer are
very helpful for creating a clean pocket. Press the top edge of the pocket under
½” and stitch into place. It is OK to use a non-stretch stitch here. Turn the bottom
edges of the pocket under ¼”, and press well, then turn the side edges under ¼’
and press again. I affixed Wash Away Wonder Tape to the very edge, turned it
under the width of the tape (which is ¼”) and was done in a flash.

Place the pocket at the mark on the Front. It is a good

idea to use stabilizer beneath; then stitch around the
sides and bottom about 1/8” from the fold. You do not
have to use a stretching stitch.

3. Join Front and Back. With right sides together, align shoulder seams. Stabilizing
this seam with clear elastic or other stabilizer, like stay tape, strips of interfacing
or even a small strip of woven fabric (selvedges work) is a very good idea for the
longest life and best look of your tee. To use clear elastic, stretch it out several
times first, then lay it along the shoulder seam, extending on both sides of the
seam. Sew the seam, stitching the elastic to the fabric as you sew. Don’t stretch.
If you are using a serger, be sure not to cut the elastic with the blade – this
means you may need to move the elastic about 1/8” from the edge in order to
keep your 3/8” seam allowance and not cut the elastic.

8
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

4. Create and Attach the Neckband.

Fold the neckband widthwise with
right sides together and sew the
short seam.

Then fold lengthwise with wrong sides together (so the seam is on the inside)
and press well. You should have a long loop with a fold on one edge and two raw
edges on the other. Mark quarter points by first laying the seam on your left and
marking it and the the folded point on your right (dark pink pins in the photo);
then, match up these two points in the center and again mark the side folds.

Mark quarter-points of the neckline by matching up

center front and center back (pull up the front neckline
so the points touch), and marking the sides of the
neckline where they fold. You’ll notice this is not the
shoulder seam, but in front of the shoulder seam on
the shirt front.

With right sides together, pin the neckband to the shirt, matching quarter points
and being sure the neckband seam is in the back of the shirt. Then, stretch the
neckband but not the shirt so the neckband is even with the neckline, and pin
points between. Sew all around, again stretching the neckband even with the
neckline, but not stretching the neckline. Press the seam toward the shirt and
press the neckband well. Optionally topstitch the seam.

9
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

If you normally use a serger, I recommend basting the

neckband within the seam allowance and pressing it
into place before finishing the seam with a serger, in
case you need to make any adjustments. Due to the
stretchiness of your particular fabric, you may need to cut
your neckband longer or shorter. If your neckband
ripples, it is too long. If the shirt fabric puckers, the
neckband is too short. Be sure to press well before
diagnosing any issues, a good pressing does wonders
for flattening out a neckband. It should look smooth like
the one at left.

5. Add the Sleeves and Sew the Side Seams. With right sides together, match the
center sleeve point to the shoulder seam, and be sure you have the Sleeve front
matching to the front of the shirt and Sleeve back matching the back of the shirt.
Pin at the center point, then at the side seam, then points between. Sew the
seam.

Align the side seams and the sleeves (long or

short, the method is the same) and sew all the
way from the hem of the shirt to the end of the
sleeve.

10
 © Tie Dye Diva Patterns - Zee’s Tee

6. Hem the Shirt and the Sleeves.

Press the hem edge under 5/8” and stitch. Press

the sleeve hems under 5/8” and stitch. Short
sleeves and/or larger sizes may fit around the free
arm of your sewing machine. For smaller sleeve
hems, you will need to sew it in the round, being
careful not to catch the other side of the sleeve in
your stitches. If you find you just can’t sew this
way, the next time, you can hem the sleeves
before attaching them in Step 5.

Enjoy your Zee’s Tee!

Copyright © Tie Dye Diva Patterns

All rights reserved. This eBook and its contents are
protected by U.S. and International copyright laws; any
reproduction of this eBook or any portion thereof,
including electronic transmission to third parties, is
strictly prohibited. Items produced using the information
in this eBook may be used for personal use, as well as
for sale in limited quantities by in-home sewers. We
request that items for sale state that the item is made
with a Tie Dye Diva pattern.

Jen
Reach Jen by email at tiedyediva@gmail.com

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11
 1”
1”
Print
11/12 Check
9/10
7/8
6/6X
5

4T
3T
2T
18-24 months
12-18 months

Back
Cut 1
on fold
12 Pocket Tee
13
place top of pocket along line
141
color coded by size

© Tie Dye Diva all rights reserved.

Pocket
Cut 1

Zee’s Tee
11/12

9/10
7/8
6/6X
5
4T
3T
2T
18-24 months
12-18 months
2T
3T
4T

5
6/6X
7/8
9/10
11/12
12-18 months
18-24 months
15
t
o nt ron
e Fr rt F
v hi
l ee o S
S t
ch
at
M

Sleeve
Cut 2
1 reversed
short sleeve - cut
 16
Ma Sle
tch ev
to e Ba
Sh ck
irt
Ba
ck

direction of
greatest stretch

t on dashed line
reserved.
all rights
171
Zee’s Tee
© Tie Dye Diva all rights reserved.
 Pocket Tee

18 1
Front
Cut 1
fold

fold on fold
 Zee’s Tee
© Tie Dye Diva all rights reserved.

Neck Band
Cut 1
Zee’s Tee direction of
© Tie Dye Diva all rights reserved. greatest stretch

19
20
12-18 months

18-24 months

2T

3T

4T

6/6X

7/8
 Zee’s Te
e
© Tie D
ye Div

21
222
223
24
 11/
1 2
9/1
7/8 0
6/6
X
5
4T
18- 3
24 2T T
9/10

12- mo
11/12

18 nth
mo s
nth
s

Yoke Tee
and Colorblock Tee

fold
Back Yoke
Cut 1
on fold
Zee’s Tee
© Tie Dye Diva all rights reserved.

25
 12
11/ 0
9/1
7/8
X
6/6
5
4T s
3T T o nth
2 -24 m onths
18 m
2 - 18
1

Yoke Tee
and Colorblock Tee

Front Yoke
Cut 1
fold

on fold
Zee’s Tee
© Tie Dye Diva all rights reserved.

526
272Colorblock Tee

Front and Back Right

Cut 2
1 reversed
direction of
greatest stretch
28
11/12
9/10
7/8
6/6X
5
4T
3T
2T
18-24 months
12-18 months
© Tie Dye Diva all rights reserved.
Zee’s Tee
293
11/12
9/10
7/8

12-18 months
6/6X
5

18-24 months
4T
3T
2T

Colorblock Tee

Front and Back Left

Cut 2
1 reversed
Lorm ipsum
direction of
greatest stretch
© Tie Dye Diva all rights reserved.
Zee’s Tee
 fold

Cut 2
on fold
Yoke Tee

Front and Back Bottom

Zee’s Tee
© Tie Dye Diva all rights reserved. 12-18 months
18-24 months

30 2T
3T
31
11/12
9/10
7/8
6/6X
5
4T
32
233
3 34
435
5 36
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