Just as I expected this week got away from me and I didn’t end up doing as much sewing for Selfish Sewing Week as I would have liked. I’m preparing for a handful of great classes at Rock Paper Scissors and they all needed class samples and oodles of attention. (If you are curious, I am teaching pillow making, The Geranium Dress, PJ pants, & the Washi Dress.) It was also C’s birthday on Friday so there was lots of birthday hoopla to consider. In the end, I wasn’t able to sneak in my selfish sewing with the exception of my Vespa bag and this t-shirt.
I’m calling it the pretty boring shirt because, well, it’s pretty boring. It’s a top & I will wear it in that perfectly ordinary way that I sometimes just grab a top out of my dresser and put it on. It’s fine. The fabric is from Girl Charlee and it was really cheap. I like the color combination and the triangles are fun. But, the brown and navy without anything else going on…meh. It’s not the fabric’s fault, I just should have added some kind of fun accent…a small pocket, maybe?
What I might need to do is buy a pink scarf or necklace or something to give this shirt a bit of something-something. I don’t know. Any idea you have are welcome. Very welcome.
For the pattern I modified the Deer & Doe’s (free!) plantain tee in the following ways: 1) I raised the neckline an inch or two and widened the scoop around the shoulders for a different look at the neck; and 2) I took out some of the body in the waist of the shirt to straighten it a little. Unlike my first version of this top, I used the 3/4 length sleeves and added a bit of elastic to create a ruched section of the sleeve.
Even that detail lacked sparkle! Ay-yi-yi!
The fit is ok but a little tight. Unlike the first top I made, which fit so beautifully, this fabric doesn’t have as much stretch and for some reason that has translated into a tighter fit in the armpit. (Boy! This blog post is just getting sexier and sexier.)
I’m not being too hard on myself, however. My intention with this t-shirt was really to play around with altering the pattern and see how it turned out. I’ve got some pricier knit fabric that I want to use to make something more interesting (possibly like this one from Sew Caroline) & you know what they say about eggs and omelets. I guess this t-shirt fits into the ‘crack a few’ category.
So, lessons learned for next time include make the shirt more interesting with a pop of color; roomier in the armpit to make up for loss of stretch; widen the scoop neck a little more; amp up the ruching; avoid upside-down triangles at the top hem; and add in ease to the arm. That’s quite the list but avoiding another lackluster blog post like this one is worth the effort it will take. Am I missing anything? Am I being too hard on myself? Thoughts?
In other news, I’ve joined Me Made May this year for the first time and so I will be wearing at least one item of handmade clothing every day all month long. I’m so excited. This shirt, in fact, was what I wore on Day 3. I’ve actually thought a lot about what it will mean to wear something handmade each day & why it is that I sew so many handmades but only wear a handful of them. I’m looking forward to writing more about all of that soon for you guys. But, for now I will leave you with this picture of the face I apparently wear when my husband’s picture taking skills are leaving me frustrated.
Poor man. He’s so tolerant of my moodiness.
Melissa, I like it! As for adding a spot of color, why not try a metallic necklace in the same colorway as the “taupe” in the T-shirt. If you go with pink, pick up a shade that is close to your lip color; yours are lovely. And here’s a “shout-out” for all the great husbands of ours out there who support us and our sometimes crazy endeavors!
I love the metallic idea! That’s a great one and how sweet of you to compliment my lip color! I just sent a virtual hug to you and I’ll give a real one to my husband…you are so right about his awesome support!
IN general, I think I need more necklaces. And, more exciting ones.
I like the neckline a lot. It’s very flattering on you. And did you cut your hair? 🙂 You know it’s not too late to add a pocket either.
Aw, thank you. So true about the pocket. I might just go with a scarf. I did cut my hair!! You are so observant. And, I got highlights, which is a huge amount of self-grooming for me. I’m so proud of myself!
You just need simple shirts sometimes! And the detail does add something 🙂