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Sewaholic Renfrew

I jumped on the bandwagon (finally) and made two Renfrews.

This is a wearable muslin in performance fabric:


I've started using performance fabric (the kind you can wash in the sink and hang up to dry overnight)  for t-shirt experiments in an attempt to build up my travel wardrobe. I think this is from Osgood Textile in Springfield; it's fairly thick and substantial (and comfortable), and much better quality than the stuff I got at Jo-Ann. (Sorry, Jo-Ann.) It's the same fabric I used to make the Beginner's Dressmaking boatneck shirt.

Side rant: I'm really tired of travel clothing companies that seem to think that a woman's travel wardrobe needs to consist of pastel-pink button-down short-sleeved shirts. SO MUCH PASTEL. Soooo many short sleeves. Because apparently traveling is only for warm outdoorsy things and not, like, cities in cold climates in the off-season or anything.

Related: Last week I was at Kittery Trading Post and ran across a scoop-neck, princess-seamed, quick-dry travel shirt from a company I like, and would have pounced on it...except it was neon orange. Because that sure won't make you look like a tourist.

Second version, in the abstract bicycle knit from Grey's Fabrics:


I kind of hyperventilated the whole time I was making this, because I really like this print and didn't want to screw it up.

About the pattern, well, there's not much to say that hasn't already been said. I sewed a straight size 10, and it was a relatively quick sew (3-4 hours, but I'm slow). I like the mix-and-matchability; I combined the scoopneck from view A and the short sleeves from view B, which worked great. I don't have a serger, so reinforced just about every seam with zigzag stitching. The only difficult part was easing the neckband; no matter what I did, it was much shorter than the neckline. I did what I could, but it still doesn't quite lie flat.

But it's wearable. I think. I hope, because I wore it and the muslin to Quebec City and they're both coming with me to Orlando if we go in August.

Me and the shirt and my favorite form of transportation:


"Put on the helmet," Tom said. All righty. Don't take the pic while I'm cracking up, though.

Thanks, Tom.
I have one worry about this shirt's future: I've washed it once and hung it up to dry, and the black is already fading. :( DON'T LEAVE ME YET, ABSTRACT BICYCLES.

The pattern, though, is great. I plan on making it again, and using the scoop neck and neck band on  other t-shirt patterns. Now if I could just find some good easing instructions!

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