Jerseys come in a large variety of shapes and sizes, and depending upon how they're folded, the jersey design can become even more varied. You can easily create a custom opening for a jersey with the minimum amount of effort.

Start by laying out the openings that will make up the segments of the design. We want them to overlap a little so that we can merge them. We're going to design half of the jersey then mirror it in Trace to create the other half of the jersey. By going through these steps, you can customize the design for the particular jersey you are working on. These steps can be used to make other shapes as well, so it is not limited to just making jerseys.

Place a 17 x 17 one layer #402: Classic template on the FrameShop Design Editor. 

Click on the Parameters tab and change the Radius to 6. This controls the arc of the neckline.

Enter 45 in the Rotation field. We now have the neckline. 

Move it to the top of the mat.

Bring over a 5 x 11 #101: Rectangle template. 

In the Rotation field, enter 28 degrees.

Move it to align with the left corner of the shoulder point.

Bring over a 5 x 8 one layer #101: Rectangle template. 

In the Rotation field, enter -42 degrees.

Move the opening to align it with the lower corner of the left upper arm.

Bring over a 16 x 14 one layer #101: Rectangle template. 

Align it so that it makes the body portion of the jersey. 

Holding the CTRL key, select all of the openings and click the Group Selection button. 

The openings will merge together.  

If any of the corners where the openings meet up cause unexpected bumps when merged, click the Group Selection button again to ungroup them, then click on the background to unselect all of the openings. Click and move the opening to the desired position, then try remerging the openings again.

Save the design in case you need to go back and alter it. You can always use this as a boiler plate for future jersey designs. You can make the arms bigger, or change the rotation. You can merge other template shape as well. There is a wide variety of possibilities.

Bring the design into Trace via the Right-Click Menu or from the Cut Preview Screen.

Double the current Design Bounds width by entering the new number in the Width field.

The design bounds widen so we have room to mirror our jersey half.

Click on the Draw radio button.

Click on the Line button.

Right-click on the center point of the bottom of the jersey.

Hold the CTRL key down to put the drawing tool into Ortho mode. 

Click somewhere past the top of the jersey.

Hit ESC to stop drawing.

We now have drawn our axis line that we are going to mirror the design with.

Click Edit > Break All Intersections.

All of the objects intersecting with the center line we drew are now broken where they intersect.

Click on the right side of the jersey. 

Click the Delete button.

The right side of the jersey has been deleted.

Click on the left side of the Jersey.

Click the Mirror button.

Right-click on the top of the center line.

Right-click on the bottom of the center line.

The left side of the jersey is now mirrored over to the right side.

Hold down the CTRL key and click on the left and right side of the jersey.

Click the Join button to connect them together.

The jersey sides are joined as one object.

With the jersey still selected, change the Offset* direction to Minus (-).

Enter the desired Offset value.

Click the Offset button.

*RULES:

Enclosed objects:

Positive value offsets to the inside.

Negative value offsets to the outside.

Arcs and Curves Greater than 180 Degrees use the same rules as for closed objects.

For lines, imagine a line's start point to be the center of a circle. The plus offsets clockwise and minus offsets counterclockwise.

The jersey is offset in the direction and in the amount specified.

Click Edit > Convert Arcs to Splines. The splines can be tangified with less distortion, which will give a smoother cutting path for the design.

Click on Edit > Tangify all Circuits. This makes each arc tangent to each other for smoother cutting.

Trace the CutArt.

Save the CutArt. You will get a message stating that this design contains objects that do not have an assigned bevel type. This refers to the leftover lines that we didn't trace. Click Yes that you wish to continue.

Load the CutArt.

Cut the CutArt.

Optionally, you can also bring the CutArt straight to the Cut Preview from Trace.

The jersey design is completed.

We can even create an optional format by not adding in the shoulders and arms to the design.

Jersey Neckline

Place a 17x17 one layer #402: Classic template on the mat. 

Click on the Parameters tab and change the Radius to 6. This controls the arc of the neckline and the arm holes.

Enter 45 in the Rotation field. We now have the neckline and arm holes. 

Move it to the top of the mat.

Bring over a 15.5625x16 one layer #101: Rectangle template.

Align it so that it makes the body portion of the jersey.

Holding the CTRL key, select all of the openings and click the Group Selection button. 

The openings will merge together.  

If any of the corners where the openings meet up cause unexpected bumps when merged, click the Group Selection button again to ungroup them, then click on the background to unselect all of the openings. Click and move the opening to the desired position, then try remerging the openings again. 

Bring the design into Trace via the Right-Click Menu or from the Cut Preview Screen.

Continue with the steps above for the previous jersey type, changing the Design Bounds width if necessary. Depending upon your design, you may not need to mirror it.

With the jersey still selected, change the Offset direction* to Minus (-).

Enter the desired Offset value.

Click the Offset button.

*RULES:

Enclosed objects:

Positive value offsets to the inside.

Negative value offsets to the outside.

Arcs and Curves Greater than 180 Degrees use the same rules as for closed objects.

For lines, imagine a line's start point to be the center of a circle. The plus offsets clockwise and minus offsets counterclockwise. 

Trace the CutArt. Remember to Add a layer in the Layers section for each layer of matboard you want to trace. Click on the desired layer, select the object to trace, then select the bevel/cartridge to trace the item for that layer.

Save the CutArt. You may get a message stating that this design contains objects that do not have an assigned bevel type. This refers to any leftover lines that we didn't trace. Click Yes that you wish to continue.

Load the CutArt.

Cut the CutArt.

Optionally, you can also bring the CutArt straight to the Cut Preview from Trace.

The alternative jersey design is completed.

You can see how much we changed the design when you compare it to what we started with.

Jersey Design:

Alternative Jersey Design: