Why we’re writing a sewing book about t-shirts

T-shirts and other knit tops are often the most-worn garments in our wardrobes, yet they rarely get centre stage in sewing books. That’s about to change. So let me introduce Malena Hjerpe’s and my upcoming book, To a Tee: Sew Your Essential T-Shirt Wardrobe.

The book is still very much in development, but it’s always fun to share the process and not just the result. This post is the first behind-the-scenes look at what we’re creating, the ideas behind the project, and why we think t-shirts deserve an entire book.

Fabric shopping for making the photo samples.

At its core, To a Tee offers patterns for five iconic t-shirt styles with detailed sewing instructions inspired by premium ready-to-wear construction. Our goal is not just to help you sew a t-shirt, but to give you a complete t-shirt wardrobe that will last a lifetime — while also demystifying the techniques, materials, and construction details behind truly great knit garments.

How the book idea came about

I blame it all on a fever dream, quite literally. For context, I had a bummer of a summer back in 2024. Early on, I caught a bad cold that kind of derailed the whole summer due to persistent coughing and breathing issues. Back then, I was still working my day job, but instead of having a proper summer holiday, I spent all my vacation days filming the Denim Mastery course. I was also single and dating around, and had so many false starts that I was kind of over the whole scene.

Filming Denim Mastery in July 2024, thinking about the t-shirt book and trying to get over disappointing dates (BTW, eight months later, I did meet my current boyfriend, and 2025 ended up being a pretty great year for a multitude of reasons).

So how did all this lead to the To a Tee idea? Well, one feverish night when I couldn’t sleep, I started thinking about knit tops. Because when you boil it down to the essentials, there are really only a handful of core styles, and together they form the blueprint for a timeless wardrobe with something to suit virtually every body type, aesthetic, and stage of life.

I’m not doing this alone

Over the years, many of you have asked for a sewing book that includes patterns. I’ve held off on it because it’s such a big task — plus, pattern books tend to go out of fashion quicker than instruction books, and longevity is something I think about with everything I do. But with t-shirts, there aren’t that many changes in the basic styles. And the best part: I already had the perfect partner, Malena. We co-wrote Fit for Knits together and have collaborated on so many projects over the years, including our weekly podcast Stitching Tales.

Malena is a highly skilled pattern maker who works for big brands and specialises in constructing patterns for knit fabrics. She works mostly under the H&M umbrella and has also been part of several H&M designer collaborations, creating some really cool stuff! We also have a great working relationship with complementary skills. So I asked Malena if she’d be up for another book, and luckily, she was!

With her on board, my initial idea went through some much-needed adjustments, and after a long process, we settled on the five core styles.

The five core t-shirt patterns

We spent over a year going back and forth on which styles to include, but now we have finally settled on five core styles, all with both short and long sleeve options.

Alma — The Semi-Fitted T-Shirt
A gently shaped tee with a tapered waist and moderate ease, designed as the polished everyday basic. Includes options for short or long sleeves, a wider neckline, a pocket, and a hoodie variation.

Vira — The Straight T-Shirt
The classic straight-cut tee with comfortable ease: relaxed without feeling oversized. Designed to work across a wide range of knit fabrics and styling approaches.

Novi — The Oversized T-Shirt
A more fashion-forward silhouette with extra ease, dropped shoulders and a relaxed shape that can look structured or draped depending on fabric choice.

Elvi — The Raglan T-Shirt
A sporty raglan style with medium ease and options that move into sweatshirt territory, including cuffs, a kangaroo pocket and a hoodie variation.

Liv — The Fitted Top
A close-fitting knit top with negative ease, designed for stretch fabrics such as rib knits and pointelle. Includes classic crew neck, wider neckline and turtleneck options.

Doing some dressing room book research, one of my favourite pastimes.

About the patterns

The patterns are drafted for women’s sizes EUR 32–56 (approximately US 0–24). Now sizing is just an arbitrary number that varies between countries and companies, so we will include detailed size charts for both body measurements and finished garments, using both metric and imperial units.

The book will include full-size pattern sheets for all five base patterns, with the option to download layered PDF patterns for A4/Letter, copy shop, and projector use.

The book timeline

Remember what I said earlier, about the idea being born during the summer of 2024? Well, I’m writing this almost two years later, and there’s still no published book — but we actually have a pretty solid deadline now! If all goes to plan, the book will be out in spring 2027.

Right now, I’m working hard on the sewing instructions; it’s a massive undertaking as we are really going all in on this. Every single step is illustrated with technical drawings, and we also show several options for many of the steps. My inspiration is the Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing, where the illustrations do most of the talking and the written instructions are succinct and very clear.

What’s next?

I feel like I barely scratched the surface on the project — and I just wrote a blog post of Odyssean proportions, lol! Anyways, we’ll continue sharing the process as the book evolves. And if there’s one thing you struggle with when sewing t-shirts, whether it’s necklines, hems or fabric choice, we’d love to hear about it in the comments. You can also check out the three podcast episodes we have done so far on the book project.

• T-shirt book update: Decisions, dilemmas and messy lines #102
• We’re making a t-shirt book (and need your advice) #90
• Secret sewing book project revealed #27

Listen and watch on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcast.

Now it’s back to book work, hope you enjoyed this update!