The Rivington T-shirt

This post is going to have a lot of photos show I can show you some of the many ways I made this top. The Rivington T-shirt is one of the latest pattens from Sewing and the City patterns. As soon as I saw it, I wanted it! I am a sucker for a great T-shirt and have taken to making my own.

If you aren’t familiar, this is a PDF pattern that is both V-neck and crew neck (I do love having both in one pattern).

The first one I made was this golden yellow V-neck. I used an interlock knit I had in my stash for this one.

This one I consider a wearable muslin. I made changes to the pattern to get the perfect fit for me. I added a full bust adjustment. That really gives me the room I need.

This greenish gray T is one of my favorites. The V is made correctly, the FBA works, and the fabric is another stash fabric that’s a lightweight knit. I also raised the neckline on this shirt which makes me much more comfortable wearing it.

*Note: if you make a V-neck top, take your time with the V. It can really make a difference (in a good way).

I also made the crewneck version of The Rivington T-shirt. I did an FBA on this one, of course, since it’s the same size as the other version. But the this one is pretty much the “perfect” crew neck top.

I bought this fabric locally on sale. It’s a lightweight knit. And I just loved the daisy print!

I definitely need to make more of these in solid colors.

The Pattern Hack

The Rivington T-shirt crew neck hacked front with lace

This one is a “hack” of the pattern that I did on the crew neck version. Both of these fabrics I had in my stash. In fact, I’ve had this stretch lace for years! But it matched perfectly with the green interlock knit I had. Instead of using the neckband, I measured around the neckline to determine how long I needed to make this collar. I think the width is about 6 inches (approximately 3″ folded in half). Then I just attached it to the neckline. I wanted the sleeves to have the lace as well.

This one was just a fun project to do.

Conclusion

These shirts can be put together is a couple of hours. While I did use my serger for these, I have made plenty of knit tops without using one. So, don’t let NOT having a serger stop you! I urge you to give this a try. If you want to learn how to sew with knit fabrics but have some apprehension about it, a T-shirt is something I think is a great first project.

Mother’s Day Maxi With Simplicity 1537

This year I decided to participate in the #sewmaxiformothersday challenge. I purchased this stretch cotton sateen from fabric.com. The bold print of this fabric is perfect for creating the look I want. While I don’t see anything like this fabric available now, here is something you can check out. I went through my pattern stash and found this OOP pattern. So I decided to make my Mother’s Day maxi with Simplicity 1537. It’s one of their “amazing fit” patterns that has separate patten pieces for different cup sizes. And with the princess seams, it’s a great way to get a terrific fit in your garment.

Woman wearing S1537 floral print maxi dress

I really like the design of this pattern. As a result of the princess seams, you can create the illusion of a defined waist. I only made one change to the pattern. The pattern calls for a 22″ zipper. Since I didn’t have that, I used a 16″ zipper. The shorter zipper causes no problems getting in and out of the dress. I changed the zipper application to centered rather than lapped. Initially I had done an incorrect lapped application and wanted this easy to install.

You could make the dress longer if you like.

It seems that many people like their maxi dresses to skim the floor. I don’t really like that because it can ruin the hemline of your dress. This way, I don’t have to worry about tripping over it either. This classically designed pattern came out in 2013. One of the reasons I rarely get rid of my old patterns is because I might find that perfect match of pattern and fabric. I think I did that with this particular maxi dress.

This fabric, with its light stretch, has good movement. It washes well and sews up very easily. The stretch just makes it comfortable to wear and move in. If any of you have this pattern, I would give it a go. It has other options for length and sleeves as well.

Conclusion

I’m so glad I finally made my Mother’s Day maxi with Simplicity 1537. This can be a pattern I’ll use again!

Separates Made With Minerva

I was gifted this fabric from Minerva.com recently. It’s a stretch cotton sateen. It washes and dries well and is super easy to sew. I enjoy using fabric like this for outfits like what you’ll see below, because it’s a medium weight that makes garments look fantastic! The patterns used for this outfit are out-of-print (OOP), but you can easily achieve a similar look with a button up shirt and a skirt. So, this post is about my separates made with Minerva.

Top: McCall's 2094
Skirt: Vogue 8295
Separates made with Minerva fabric

What I wanted was the look of a dress, but achieved with separates. Although I do plan to make a shirtdress (and I considered it for this fabric), I wanted more options. With a print this bold, I figure I will give myself the opportunity to break this up.

Top: McCall's 2094
Skirt: Vogue 8295
Belted separates Minerva fabrics

In the photo above I am wearing this belted. That’s a good way to break up the print and add some visual interest to the outfit.

M2092, V8295 top and skirt belted (wide), minerva fabrics separates

In the photo above, I’m wearing this with a wide belt. It’s just a different look rather than the other leather belt.

If you’ve never used this type of fabric, it has a bit of stretch but I think it stitches up beautifully. It’s great for things like this because it allows the garments to have some structure.

McCall's 2094 top made with Minerva fabrics

This shirt pattern is pretty much my go to for this style of top. It has 8 variations, including sleeveless.

Vogue 8295 skirt made with Minerva fabrics

I love the wide band on this skirt pattern. It has some length variations as well. There are also options that are more decorative. Here is a previous time I sewed up this pattern (you might need to scroll down to get to the picture of the skirt). Overall I’m very happy with how this turned out. I love the versatility of this outfit. I can wear it belted or unbelted, tucked in or out, and split the whole thing up! If you want to add some options to your outfits, especially if you want the most from your sewing time, you might want to consider sewing this way. I hope you enjoyed this post on separates with Minerva fabrics. I’ll leave another link below if you want to look at this fabric (or any others they have).