Skip to main content

adventures in t-shirt making (and my new favorite book)

At the Worcester Sewing Expo a few weeks ago, I bought a book called The Beginner's Guide to Dressmaking on impulse, as well as a ton of bamboo knit from Vogue Fabrics. The haul:

How could I pass up an Animal appliqué? 
The book's t-shirt pattern caught my eye because I'm perpetually on the lookout for a decent not-too-fitted, not-too-loose t-shirt with interesting details. (Which is hard to find. As much as I love Alabama Chanin, their fitted tops are a little tight—and the Vogue top I just muslined is enormous.) This one is just drapey enough, with a boatneck and sleeve bands. And only two pattern pieces!

I loved the variations, too.


In fact, the variations on every project (there's an asymmetrical moto jacket, as well as skirts and a shift dress) are pretty great. You can make the dress with or without sleeves and add collars and/or pockets to just about everything.



And I couldn't pass up the fabric; I'm a sucker for stripes and polka dots and thought it might be fun to get a yard or two of each to mix and match. Still working on the fitting, but overall, I like it! I also made a version in navy performance fabric as a wearable muslin.

Pictures:

Navy wearable muslin. I need a haircut.
Red polka dot with striped sleeves

Striped with polka-dot sleeves (neckline not quite cleaned up the way it should be)
You know what I really love about this book? The pattern pieces are so easy to read. Everything is color-coded and the font is huge. The t-shirt pattern is a little hard to see—it's light gray—but, overall, kudos for accessibility!



 I'm definitely trying every pattern in this book (except maybe the fishtail skirt pattern—not really my thing).

PR review for posterity:

 Pattern Description:

The Beginner's Guide to Dressmaking boatneck t-shirt.

Pattern Sizing: 

1-5 (1 is an extra-small, I'm assuming). I made the 3 based on my measurements.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes!

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes, mostly. (I'm thrown by any book that instructs you to "machine" instead of "stitch.") It does instruct you to use different seam allowances for each piece, which is a little confusing.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

Love the drapey fit, the boatneck, the sleeve bands, and love that it's only two pattern pieces. TWO!

Dislike the different seam allowances, and I think there might be an error. The overall instructions say to use a 5/8 inch allowance for everything, except 3/8 inch around the armhole. But then they tell you to sew the sleeve bands together using a 3/8 inch allowance. (Which I did, and it worked out fine.)

Fabric Used:

Bamboo knit from Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, IL, purchased at the Worcester Sewing Expo.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

No fitting changes, but I half-assed the seam allowances on the neckline and hem (just turned them up/down till they looked right).

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yep!

Conclusion: 

The t-shirt I've been looking for. Will definitely make again!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Alabama Chanin Factory Dress, and an update

Right! So I've been thinking lately about making three "uniform dresses" with pockets in Alabama Chanin cotton jersey that can be worn by themselves or over t-shirts and leggings, under cardigans, etc. And then I got this new "accessory" in May (which I'll explain in a sec) and couldn't get a red dress out of my head. To match, sort of—even though I hate it—but also, I love red and for some reason have none of it in my closet. So anyway, here's the first Factory Dress! It's single-layer medium-weight cotton jersey in Carmine, in a straight size medium, with hand-stitched seams (although I machine-stitched Eloflex within the SA afterward for extra stability). I used the punch cards from The Geometry of Hand-Sewing for the Cretan stitch around the neckline and armholes, which worked out great.  Bad closeup of neckline: This was a really enjoyable make—I had fun with the combination of machine and hand-stitching. I might k
4 comments
Read more

finished: Alabama Chanin Classic Jacket

Hi! Lots going on around here lately. Thing One: I bought a new sewing machine! This is my new Bernina 480 , purchased from Sew Creative in Beverly, which recently closed. Sorry I don't have a better picture. I love this thing—it's fancy! I'm still learning my way around it. Thing Two: I was supposed to have another article in Vogue Patterns Magazine, but it folded! Bummer. It's on lighting for sewists, and if you want a copy, feel free to contact me on le social and I'll send it to you. I interviewed the gadget person from the Carroll Center for the Blind, and he recommended a lot of great stuff. (Really going to miss Vogue Patterns—it was my favorite sewing magazine! RIP.) And finally, Thing Three: I completed an Alabama Chanin Classic Jacket, from their Sewing Patterns book. The backstory is that I really wanted a nice reversible travel jacket in nice AC organic cotton for an upcoming trip to Japan. (This is after ordering an expensive travel hood
3 comments
Read more

complete: Nani Iro pocket dress

I made a dress! With the new sewing machine! Wheee! And not to bury the lede, but: We went to Japan for two weeks, and I completely fell in love with the clothing—especially Nani IRO and their amazing fabrics. I'm hooked. We tracked down the atelier in Osaka. ( Here's my review on PR .) They wouldn't let me take photos of the shop but said it was OK to take pictures of the fabrics. Lots of linen, cotton gauze and sateen in bright colors, as well as buttons and notions, an archive (I wasn't sure if it was possible to buy any of the archived fabrics), and jewelry. I bought some lovely blue linen with an asymmetrical print: And the book—the English translation had just been released. And it was signed! (I have a picture, can't seem to post it, sry.) So anyway. I couldn't stop reading the book—you know when you get really really obsessed with a pattern book? Like that. As soon as I got home, I decided to try out the pocket dress. Here'
2 comments
Read more