Red/white striped tee

I was so inspired by this post by Erica B. that I copied her new top, right down to the fabric and U-neck.  In my defense, I did already have the fabric (from a recent seasonal collection at JoAnn) and was planning to make a summer dress.  Her top convinced me that simple tee was what I needed.

Oh, look!  The fabric is still in stock online and on sale to boot!

The pattern is my usual for tees - out of print Butterick 3344.  My pattern tissue is looking so sad at this point that it's time to trace it on cardboard or something.  I guess I could look for a new pattern, but then again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My camera took this one photo before going on strike and refusing to work until I charge the battery.  No worries.  I must get back to my sewing machine anyway and finish up the last skirt to complete my SWAP at Artisans Square.  Last sewing day, you know.  This works out quite well with my plan to join Me-Made-May starting tomorrow, wearing at least one handmade thing each day in May.  I have a little backlog to get on the blog, but I'm hoping Me-Made-May will help me with documenting those.  I've only blogged this and this and this.  Together with today's offering, that means I've made at least 6 other garments since the beginning of the year.  Sheesh.

McCalls 6801

It's been said before, and I'll say it again:  the downside of sewing your clothes is that you don't get to try something on until you've invested time and money in the making of it.  Maybe that's what leads me to be not terribly adventurous with my garments.  I do think I tend towards the basic.

Exhibit A:  McCalls 6801.  Look at those flattering gathers!  Extra oomph around the bust is always a good thing in my book.

Exhibit B:  huh?  How did that exuberant ruching become so unflattering??  And it's pulling a bit in the shoulders and back.  And the color I thought was so pretty makes me look ill.  And the silky hand of the fabric feels like cheap poly.  And Hubs agrees it's not my most flattering work.

 I wore it to church over a dress (still not blogged!?!) and it gave a cute skirt effect.  A little cardi hid the pulling shoulders.

Now, I don't want to be toooooo overly dramatic.  This is by no means the worst thing I've made, and I don't hate it... it's just that had I tried this on in a store, no way would I have chosen to bring it home.  I'll keep wearing it for awhile with this cardigan.  I like the greens together, and it goes with several skirts I have (one reason for picking this fabric).  But, I doubt this will still be in my closet in a year.

...internal monologue... I am getting some serious ombre-effect hair... time to fix that...

Vogue 8670 with a roll neck

Tilly's new top pattern has given me the bug to make some knit tops and dresses.  I haven't bought the pattern (because I already have some similar ones), but I anxiously await to see what she releases next.  If you do find yourself in need of a top pattern, give hers a try.  I've read nothing but good things about it.

Aaaaaanyway, this is what I whipped up the other day in about an hour while The Great British Sewing Bee kept buffering.  I decided to use my raglan pattern, Vogue 8670, which I used for a tunic once before.

 The only change I made from the pattern was to widen the neckline about an inch and add a roll neck.  I would have liked it a bit taller (a la Tilly's) but didn't have any larger piece of fabric left.  I cut it on the bias in hopes that it would lay flat and it does!  I assumed I'd have to tack it down in a few places, but it behaves itself nicely.  :-)

 The fabric is a beefy rayon/poly jersey from JoAnn's with the tiniest bit of sparkle.  I really like the weight of this for a nice tee, and I do like a bit of orange in my life.

Vogue 1259

Woohoo!  Second day of Me-Made-May!  :-)

Today, I wore a fairly new top that I am quite proud of.  The pattern is Vogue 1259 with some alterations.  I bought this pattern some time ago because I love the look of the top and the top and skirt together.  However, I just don't need any slinky looks like this at the moment.  I figured I could just make the top, but the high neck isn't practical or comfortable for Florida springtime.  I decided to cut it off at a crew-neck but waited until the rest of the top was complete before hacking off the turtleneck.  The pattern pieces are pretty crazy looking, and I was scared of cutting off too much neckline.

Here is my version:

 I started off with the pattern one size smaller than I would take based on my measurements after reading the finished measurements and reading the experiences of others with this pattern being a bit large.  You can see the front drape piece is still less form-fitting than the model's, but that's ok with me since this is basically a jazzed-up tee shirt now.

The one part of my top that I'm not 100% thrilled with is the keyhole opening in the back.  It is a bit wavy, which could have easily been remedied with some strips of interfacing if I had thought of it.  With the lower neckline I made, I dont even really need the opening to get the top on and off, but I think it is still a nice detail on the back.

 Here are a couple more views since every angle is different with this top.  :-) 

 The fabric is a knit from Joann's.  I can't find it online, but I saw some in the store just a couple of days ago.  It is perfect for this top - very lightweight.  I think it is a cotton/poly blend jersey.

To sum up, I really like this top.  I get compliments when I wear it, and it is comfy without looking sloppy at all.  I had to pay close attention during the construction, and there were definitely some moments of confusion, but in the end, I didn't have to rip out any seams, so kuddos to Vogue for making this complicated pattern achievable. :-)

Red Stripey tee

Here are some bad nighttime photos of a tee I made a couple of months ago.  Not the most exciting thing, but it does get a lot of wear.  :-)  It works nicely on its own or for layering under sweaters.  I particularly like it under this sweater, but my wonderful husband may have told me I remind him of one of Santa's elves.

I just used my usual OOP tee pattern, Butterick 3344, and modified the neckline from there.  This knit has very little stretch, so it is quite snug, but I think it's ok. 

Simplicity 2181

Thanks so much for the comments on my red sweater.  That was a real labor of love, and I'm so happy with how it turned out. 

Today, I'm going to share a top I made about a week ago for a little break from my cranberry jacket.  I really want to finish that jacket up before I leave for a short Thanksgiving vacay in a few days.  All it needs is buttons and a couple of buttonholes.

This is Simplicity 2181, which I made once before here.

I love how this one turned out, also, but I wonder if I should shorten it a few inches.  It's giving off a bit of a sloppy vibe here to me, maybe because it's paired with the slouchy knit pants (also recently sewn, which I'll explain in my next post)

Maybe the solution is to try it with some skinny jeans today and see what I think.  If I still don't love the length then, time for a chop.  What do you think?

Of course, skinny jeans seems to be my go-to for unfrumpying my comfiest tops.  :-)

Here is a closeup of the front detail.  The fabric is Magenta Magic from Sawyer Brook.  I love when I make this top how it all comes together in one step when you put in that little strip to make the fabric bunch up.  I still think this is a great pattern for a really fluid jersey. 

The only change I made was to give my hips a bit more room, probably about two inches total.  If you recall, on the last version, I hemmed it a bit shorter because the hip area was tight.

 

Simplicity 2181

So I finished up Vogue 1271, and it's waiting to be blogged, but first I wanted to throw this up.  :-)  I am in LOVE with this top.  I took about an hour to cut it out last night to get the placement and symmetry just right, and then it took less than two hours to sew!  I had the idea at 8 pm, and before 11, it was all finished and ready to wear today.

This is Simplicity 2181, which I just bought this week.  I'm quite certain this will be the perfect Florida spring top.  It is so loose and airy.  It's pretty low-cut, but not gaping.

The fabric is poly jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics.  Do you remember it, fellow bloggers?  It was everywhere about 2-3 years ago.  It was the must-have jersey.  I missed out on the first batch and snagged some when it was back in stock.  Then it sat and sat and sat because I was scared of the print.  How to place the white?  How to use the border?  I can't explain this top other than to say that inspiration struck last night.

It doesn't even make me look pregnant like some gathered tops can.  It doesn't exactly make me look busty, but we can't ask it to perform miracles.  I made a size 10 and the only thing I changed was taking up the hem, and that was just because it was a bit snug around my bum and made the belly bag out a bit.  If, no when, I make this again, I'll add a little width to the hip area and keep it tunic length. 

This would be so easy to modify for maternity, too, not that I'm thinking about that.

Color block tee

Thanks for the sweet comments on my jacket.  I'm waiting for the temperatures to dip again so I can wear it!  :-)

I whipped up this tee shirt during a few stolen hours yesterday afternoon and this morning.  I was inspired by this from J Crew, which is of course now on sale.  Whatever. 

Th two fabrics are from Sawyer Brook:  dill jersey on top and cypress jersey on the bottom.  They turned out to be a great match, both in color and hand of the fabric.  The pattern starting point was my usual OOP Butterick 3344.

 I split the front and back pieces straight across right under the arms so the line runs right over the bust.

 This tee is sooooo soft and comfy, I have a feeling it will be a weekend staple.

 Here is a lovely underarm shot where you can see how the change of fabric runs.

 Not long after I took these photos today, I cut my hair (and touched up my roots, ahem).  this is the first time I've had bangs in over a decade!

Striped tee on me!

Here is my new striped top mentioned here.  The pattern I used to start was my usual out of print Butterick 3344.  I added the sleeve tabs and buttoned neck treatment myself.  I also had a couple more inches taken off of my hair. :-)

Striped tee finished

I finished up the striped top I mentioned here.  The fabric is Ines from Sawyer Brook, and it is a dream.  I'm glad I have enough left for a tank top... or maybe something for my little niece.  It's time she learned the necessity of the striped tee.  The buttons are Ruffle, also from Sawyer Brook.  I'll take photos on myself when I wear it tomorrow, but for now, here it is.

Striped tee in progress

Here are some details on a quick striped top I whipped up.  I just need buttons for the foldover shoulders and sleeve tabs to finish it up.

Braid-Embellished Tee

I finished the quick top I alluded to yesterday, and I wore it today.  I'm not sure if it's the color or the style, but I received quite a few compliments!  I think it's a keeper.  The inspiration was a top I saw at Target but can't find online.
Oh, and I got my hair cut a couple of weeks ago.  :-)

 I really like this bright, royal blue color.  The fabric is a linen/cotton knit from fabric.com I purchased at least a year ago.  I just had to wait for inspiration to strike.

 Here you can see I continued the neck treatment around the back.  Simple to do when you're making your own.

Here is a closeup of the neckline treatment.  I just slapped it on a neckline of my usual OOP Butterick 3344 tee shirt, after machine-stitching a quick rolled hem to finish the raw edge.  The neckline consists of two steps:  1 - a strip of fabric about 1.5 inches wide that I pleated and pinned on and then machine stitched in the middle all the way around, and 2 - a braided piece of trim which I hand-stitched on top of the pleated strip.  The hand stitching took about an hour, but I was watching TV and didn't really mind.

Embroidered top

Here is my newest top for me!  I had to try to make a top for an adult using some embroidery from my new machine.

I put on three coordinating designs, including one on the back for funsies.  The pattern is my usual Butterick 3344 top, which is now so out-of-print that they don't have it on the website anymore.  I modified the front to have crossover pieces at the top.  I had to be creative to use the pieces of this top, which was ruined in the wash.  :-(  I was so sad when that bit the dust that I stuffed it away for two years before cutting it up.  :-)

I've started a fancy dress for my mom, so expect some half-finished progress pics of that.  It will take me at least a few days to make, but I am LOVING it so far.  The fabric is the red shown in the middle of this post.

First day of school shirts

I made both boys shirts for the first day of school, even though only one was actually going to preschool (much to the little guy's disappointment).  As I ran back in the house to grab my coffee (gotta have that for the drive to preschool every morning), big brother decided to get started with the photoshoot and snapped a bunch of pics of little brother.  Then they both scrambled in the car and refused to come out when I was ready, coffee in hand.  

So... photos were taken in the school parking lot in front of this lovely white truck (not mine).

The pirate-themed embroidery designs are from Designs by Juju, about which I have nothing but good things to say:  the designs are great, the customer service is great, the prices are great.  The fabric for the shirts is an old purchase from Chez Ami fabrics.  I still have a bunch (bought it on clearance $3.50/yard), which is great.  It's a great stripe knit for boys tees.  The ribbing is plain brown from JoAnns.

Both boys were really proud and happy with their shirts, so I'm just enjoying that and not thinking forward to the day in the not-too-distant future when they'll no longer want mom's shirts.  :-)

McCalls 6078 - version 2

I'm finally getting around to posting my second version of McCalls 6078.

This is another knit from Sawyer Brook - Robin's Egg Jersey. It is a very thin and drapey rayon knit that was perfect for this shirt. I have enough for a second top, so we'll see what that becomes. The armhole bands on this version are made from leather scraps. I'm definitely digging this version, too.