A Terrific Basic: T-Shirt Edition

As a member of the 2018 Ready To Wear fast, there are things I know that I will need or want to replace that make my heart beat a little bit faster. It’s never something like making a coat (I did that during my first RTW fast here ) but it’s those things I wear everyday that I want a pattern I can just cut and sew. Those are the basics for me that will get the most use. So, lately I’ve been focusing on T-shirts and one of my favorite patterns is the Itch to Stitch Idyllwild T shirt and dress. There are so many variations with this pattern that it can be used over and over again.

Idyllwild Tshirt

This one in red is a ruched T I made without the ruching. It’s a longer top but the ruching would make it shorter.

The next two are the same T-shirts but in the T-shirt length which a few inches shorter than the red.

Idyllwild T shirt

This is a pattern I definitely recommend if you’re looking for a T-shirt pattern with several different options for neckline, sleeve and length.

Here’s a link to the pattern if you’re interested here

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Wardrobe Staple: Knit Tops

I have been working on different wardrobe pieces recently (mostly will a Fall/Winter theme). I realized I needed to, and wanted to, improve my look and style but without changing who I am or what I like to wear. Since I’m at home during the day, I don’t need fancy clothes or the typical work wardrobe. But, I also realized that my usual outfit of jeans and T-shirts (or shorts and T-shirts during the summer) needed some serious updating. So, I decided to sew myself a few pieces to begin. In this blog post I’ll discuss the two patterns I used for these tops: 1) Vogue 9205 and 2) Patterns for Pirates Women’s Henley PDF.

I have a substantial fabric stash that includes a lot of knits, so I was happy to give these patterns a try. The Vogue pattern is basically a classic that includes darts at the neckline and topstitching.

V9205

One of the things that I really like about this shirt is the length. It can be tucked in (although made to worn out) but it provides good coverage.

V9205

As you can see, there are sleeve options with this shirt which is great as I’m trying to prepare some items for Fall weather.

The henley top (it’s a PDF from Patterns for Pirates) I didn’t have but purchased when I saw it. I’ve been looking for a henley-style T-shirt pattern for a while and never found anything that was even close. I came across this pattern (thank you Google) when I threw out some I had for years that were worn so often the edges were all worn out.

Patterns for Pirates Henley - gray

Patterns for Pirates Henley

The gray was made with a light-weight cotton knit while the others are all ponte knits. I added snaps on the gray shirt but kind of wish I hadn’t. I love the snaps, but I forgot how time-consuming it can be to add snaps when you haven’t done them in a long time. It took me almost as long to get then on as it did for me to actually make the shirt. The placement could have been better also, but so it goes. The blue top has buttons!

This pattern is terrific though. It has sleeve and hem variations as well as a hood and banded waist. This is definitely one that I’ll be making more of.

That’s all for now. I would recommend both of these patterns to anyone out there. They are both terrific!

T-shirt and Craftsy Class

I took advantage of one of the Craftsy sales last year and bought a bunch of classes. One of those was “The Ultimate T-Shirt” class given by Marcy and Katherine Tilton. The pattern for the class is Vogue 8793. In the class you’re told how to make simple alterations to the pattern and given some options for how to finish the neck seam.

I made the shirt from a reversible cotton knit I bought at Jo-Ann’s last year.

I thought the class was great. I got some ideas for finishing and fitting that I probably wouldn’t have considered had I not taken the class.

In all honesty, the pattern itself is not one that I would have chosen had it not come with the class. There is nothing wrong with it, it’s just not my style. I’m much more the “traditional” T-shirt person. I think this shirt could use some more alteration at the bottom so that it doesn’t flare out (I don’t like that. I might have inadvertently stretched the fabric).

Anyway, the shirt is VERY comfortable and I like that I was able to use the pattern of the material in the shirt. But, I do like the idea of creating a T-shirt as art concept that the Tilton’s have.

Having said all that, I could see myself using the pattern again. I would just take more time for fitting.