Needle

Thread

• Gütermann Mara 120 for fine merino (150–180 gsm)
• Gütermann Mara 100 for heavier interlock merino (200+ gsm)

Quick Tips

• Never pull while sewing. Pulled seams in merino do not recover and the distortion is permanent
• Use a fresh, fine needle; a dull or oversized needle leaves visible holes in fine merino that don't close up
• Wash on cool with wool detergent before cutting. Merino felts and shrinks dramatically with heat or agitation
• Hand-tie thread tails on visible seams rather than backstitching. Backstitches concentrate needle holes in one spot

Detail

Merino wool jersey is the premium base-layer fabric: warm when cold, cool when warm, naturally odor-resistant, quiet against skin. Weights run 150 gsm (ultralight summer travel tees), 200 gsm (standard base layer), 260+ gsm (heavier interlock for cold-weather layering). Merino is more delicate than cotton or synthetic jersey. Needle holes show, the fabric distorts permanently if pulled while sewing, and fine yarns snag on standard needles. A smaller Jersey needle (70/10 or 75/11) and fine thread (Mara 120) minimize the visible footprint of every stitch. Use lightning or narrow zigzag stitches on stretch seams, same as cotton jersey. A well-sewn merino tee lasts years. A rushed one shows puckered seams and broken yarns within a few washes.