Whoah! I sewed a garment for myself! Now, that was long ago! I suddenly really wanted something new and colourful to wear. It had to be a quick make without any fitting so I pulled out the pattern for a scoop neck tee by Meg McElwee that I’ve used before. That t-shirt is probably my most worn self-made garment ever so it seemed like a safe bet to use it for some fuss-free sewing.
The fabric is a bit of a funky striped knit that I originally bought with the intention of making a dress for my daughter. When I laid down the pattern on the fabric, I realized I could just fit it on with nothing to spare. With the uneven stripes in this print there is only so much pattern matching that you can do so I only sort of did this for the sides and made sure that both sleeves at least featured the stripes in the same order.
I had to laugh a bit at myself because after making the first t-shirt years and years and years ago (pre-blogging) I had written down on the traced pattern that I had made the t-shirt 1 inch shorter than the pattern. Years later I used the same pattern to make a maternity t-shirt and then wondered whether I had also removed that 1 inch from the pattern or not and wrote that question down on the pattern as well. I can now attest that yes, I did indeed cut off the 1 inch from the pattern. I think nowadays I make clearer notes when I modify a pattern, or at least I hope I do.
I wore my new t-shirt the entire day before taking pictures and I can already tell that it is going to be another winner in my wardrobe.
Does anyone else suddenly feel the need for brighter colours in their life? I wear a lot of dark blue and grey and have done so for years but now I want more purple and greens and maybe even pink? We’ll see what comes next. I probably need to get some more fabric first, this was the only colourful kid fabric that my pattern fit on.
It’s hard to go wrong with stripes, and this fabric is such a fun colour combination. I love stripes myself, and have *at least* 6 long sleeved T shirts that are striped, for our (not very cold) winters. I tend to wear darker, plainer colours in winter, and brighter, hot colours in the summer, when the sun is so bright that you need strong colours or they appear bleached. I do crave colour in the winter, but I seem to be incapable of doing my usual bright, strong prints at that time of year!
Yes, I also wear a lot of stripes, they’re great. I don’t make much distinction between summer and winter clothes. I just layer up more in winter. I wonder whether it’s this whole pandemic thing that just keeps dragging on that makes me reach for colour.
I wear such thin fabrics in the summer that layering for the winter would turn me into the Michelin Man! Plus it gives me a chance to wear different things, which I enjoy. I think you might have a point about needing some colour and interest in life because of C19…
Such different climates. I guess I would make more of a distinction if I didn’t work in a place where some labs still feel artic even in the height of summer.
I really like the colours in those ‘wobbly’ stripes and it looks great on you. I’m a big fan of the scooped neck myself as it minimises my generous embonpoint and looks more modern than a v-neck.
I did start keeping a notebook with pattern notes in it which I must start doing again as I have found it really useful in the past. You’re right about having to be a bit more precise in the notes though as you think you’ll remember what a brief instruction means but a year or more later it will have you puzzling over what you meant.
Thank you! I do wear V-necks but am also more fan of the scoop. I now often also date the modifications that I made, that sometimes helps me remember why I did something.
I love the fabric and the clean lines – great job!
Thank you!
I am so impressed with your perfect T-shirt. Enjoy wearing it
Thank you!