Today is the first day of Me Made May, if you don't know what that is then check out Zoe's post here for more information. I haven't decided on a pledge yet that works for me but I've started the month off wearing my new blue/white stripey t-shirt!
I've just amalgamated my two Pattern Review reviews together below. These two items are the first part of my mini-wardrobe for the Pattern Review contest I mentioned in my previous post Even if I don't get the rest of the wardrobe done in time for the contest I am very happy to have two new t-shirts to wear!
Pattern Description: Basic crew neck t-shirt
Pattern Sizing: XS - Large. I sewed up the size small and my measurements are b34, w29, h 41.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes. However if I’d used the recommended seam allowance on the sleeve hems I think the sleeves would have turned out much shorter than in the drawing.
Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes. The book gives different construction methods graded easy to hard. I did shoulder seams>attached the neckband by marking 4 equal points on neckband piece & on neckline then stretching it to fit as I sewed>attached the sleeves>twin needle to hem them> sewed one side seam>hemmed the bottom with a twin needle>sewed other side seam. A very quick sew! I did consider using some kind of tape in the shoulder seams but I didn’t have any to hand & realised that I’m still wearing a T-shirt I made 4-5 years ago without stabilising the shoulders & it's holding up fine. I also didn't overlock the seams on either of these t-shirts, except on the neck band of the blue and white striped one. The jersey won't fray and no-one else sees the inside except me so I didn't see much point.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really wanted a crew neck pattern like an old favourite T-shirt I have. Not too fitted, a bit boxy and this fitted the bill perfectly.
Fabric Used: Version 1. A very stable cotton jersey from a local fabric shop. The inspiration for this T-shirt was actually an old photo of my mum looking very cool in the 70s in a pair of wide legged navy trousers and a pink or purple and navy striped T-shirt. I wish I could find that old photo! This jersey was so nice to sew with. I just made a dress with a viscose jersey and I cannot get the hem to sit nicely, I've tried hem tape, zig zag, twin needle, wooly nylon in the bobbin case! So it was lovely to sew with a fabric that just behaved itself!
Version 2. A lovely cotton jersey (95% cotton 5% elastane - Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified). This fabric did curl a bit at the edges but not enough that it made it more difficult to sew with. I found the stretch twin needle, with wooly nylon in the bobbin case, and a slightly looser tension worked well with this and prevented any tunnelling.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:I shortened it by 2.5” and only used a 1/4” hem on the bottom and sleeves instead of the recommended 3/4”. I'm assuming the hem allowances are bigger because it's given for a cover stitch machine.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes I will definitely sew this again, probably not for a wee while though as I have another few T-shirt patterns is like to try out too.
Conclusion: A perfect everyday T-shirt pattern that I feel has already become a TNT pattern for me!
