Plain T-Shirt; Fancy Neckline

Oh, don’t be fooled by this simple looking t-shirt.  Beneath its coquettish grey-beige color lies a little mystery of the subtle variety.  If this plain t-shirt were to shape shift, it would come to life as the quiet, ordinary but enigmatic woman at a cocktail party. The one you are inexplicably drawn to and find yourself talking with all night.  That’s right.  This is a plain t-shirt with a fancy neckline, and that, my friends, makes it special.

In fact, I’ve been thinking of this t-shirt as the “what I wish Anthropologie was” t-shirt.  It’s got a touch of unique without being over-the-top / something one can only wear as a gentleman farmer’s wife in the south of France.  (Don’t get me wrong, I love Anthro but not only am I not shopping this year, but I also can find it difficult to find everyday wearables among their selection even when I’m smitten with all of it.)  You know, I’m a mom.  I want a t-shirt to make me feel pretty without being easily breakable or stainable.

Back to the t-shirt.

It is, of course, another Plantain Tee. This time, I hacked it by replacing the knit jersey neckline with two rows of nearly-translucent tulle-like fabric from my stash that was cut on the bias.  It actually sounds pretty easy but was an awfully delicate process.  First I had to cut the slippery fabric so it was on the bias.  Then, I stitched it together so I had a long length of it; enough to circle around the neckline twice.  Last of course, I had to actually sew it onto the neckline at an even seam allowance. I used many pins.  But, it’s kind of exciting, right? Kind of sweet.

I will admit, I’m mildly nervous about washing this top and will probably wash it on delicate and hang it to dry. So, that makes it a bit fussy.  I don’t want too much of the neckline to unravel. I guess that makes it fussy but still wearable and I can live with that.

I got this idea from the Colette book on knits by Alyson Clair.  In fact, that book is incredibly inspiring and full of all kinds of ideas on inventive ways to work with knits. I love it. It hasn’t gotten much attention and I think it’s because it doesn’t have projects or patterns but it’s worth it for the encyclopedic knowledge within!