If you are sewing a stretch fabric with a straight stitch, the stitching will break if the fabric stretches. You should at least be sewing with a wobble stitch (a very narrow zigzag) as it looks straight, but will stretch. To use a double needle, you do need 2 spools. If your machine has 2 holders, put one spool in each. If not then put both spools on a single spindle, but make sure the thread comes off one spool in one direction and off the other spool in the other so they don't tangle. Then thread the machine as if they were one thread until you get to the needle. Thread each needle with one thread making sure they aren't twisted. Use a straight stitch when using the double needle....it will stretch by itself. The other way we always hemmed our tshirts was with the blind hem stitch which is a straight stitch that zig zags left every few stitches. You fold up your hem like normal but then to sew it, fold the hem back under so that about 1/4" of the hem allowance shows and the outside of the garment is folded back. You sew along the 1/4" of the hem allowance and the needle swings left and catches just a pinch of the outside material in the fold to make the blind hem. The video illustrates the technique. Here is a link that might be useful: blind hem stitch

If you have a zig-zag stitch available on your machine, Here's the simplest way to hem your T-shirt: 1) First, cut your T-shirt off half an inch longer than you want it to be (for hem allowance) 2) Then fold & iron that half inch over to the back side of the T-shirt (making sure not to stretch the fabric very much). 3) Now: Set your sewing machine zig-zag stitch to about 3 or 3 & a half (or somewhere mid-way on your stitch guide, not to big & not to small) then set your stitch LENGTH to about 6 or 8 or a bit smaller... You want the stitch length & width to be JUST big enough to work. If it's to wide, it won't look right. 4) Turn T-shirt right-side out & sew from the inside hem area. Now sew your hem like this: When stitching the zig-zag stitch, have the zig hit the shirt-only area & the zag hit the hem area... As the Zig-Zag alternates: Every other stitch should hit the hem area. Continue to sew your hem all the way around. ---> This is how I sew all of my hems on knit garments. You won't have to worry about the garment raveling or fraying because thin knits don't fray. And don't worry about it looking "Unprofessional" because no one looks THAT close at your hem... As long as you have MATCHING THREAD (or invisible thread on pattern garments) the hem will look fine & be Super-Easy to do! (& the zig-zag stitch will stretch along with the knit fabric) * If your machine doesn't have a zig-zag stitch you can iron the hem to about half an inch in length, then sew the hem by hand. * If you don't have an iron, just fold the hem as you sew, being careful to keep the hem as even as possible. ---> The directions above are only for thin, knitted fabrics, with or without stretch. When hemming a WOVEN garment you MUST fold the cut area of the fabric under the hem & use a STRAIGHT stitch with a long stitch length.

I am a t-shirt person! I like Talbot’s Pima cotton t-shirts. I have short sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, and long sleeves. I do not dry them in the dryer. However, I do throw them in for 5 minutes on low heat with a dryer sheet then hang on a folding rack to dry. This past season (winter) I found them to be quite long, almost too long. I’ve also bought Land’s End. They are quite long. The Pima cotton is soft, but it might be a tad thin. I bought t-shirts from LLBean several years ago. I liked the fabric but found the shirts to be a bit short and the sleeves were closer to cap sleeves than short sleeves.

Of course, alisande, we all make choices and I'm glad you're happy with yours. For many, the diversity and availability of employment opportunities is a major (but not the only) factor that influences where people choose to live. I could not have had the career I had away from an urban or major business center and would not have been happy with a lifetime of unchallenging work and inadequate income. Before the work at home practice started just recently, this was true for most people with professional or white collar jobs who can now partially or entirely work at home and is still true for people in trades who want to have a robust customer population to draw from. Small town and rural locations offer limited choices, often limited employment opportunities and limited resources of all kinds. Supply and demand controls. Choices are limited where demand is limited and choices are much greater and more numerous where demand is higher. Also a factor is the life one chooses to pursue, of course. For me, it was an easy choice to pursue a course with greater personal financial security and rewards and proximity to cultural opportunities. Others make different choices. No wrong or right answers, all personal preferences.