What is this, you ask? A SEWING post? Could it be? Yes! It is! After over a year of not sewing anything at all I decided that in the midst of the never-ending work that is graduate school I needed a project that I could see through fruition before I reached middle age. I’m a slow knitter and have a project on the needles already so I decided I was going to sew something.
I wanted something easy, quick, and that did not require a lot of fitting. That eliminated all those beautiful coats I’ve tagged to make, you know, someday. The choice was clear, I needed to make something with knit fabric.
When I was in Belgrade (c’mon, I HAD to drop that in here, casually!) I picked up the then most recent issue of Ottobre Woman, and it had what looked to be a pretty simple tunic style t-shirt that looked OK. Ottobre has always been good for me fit-wise so I decided to go for it.
Now, remember how I said I wanted an easy project? Well, I chose a light cotton jersey, which is a pain in the butt to work with. So, while the construction of the t-shirt is pretty straightforward – I didn’t even look at the instructions, not that they would have been helpful since they are in German – I may have shed a tear of frustration with the fabric itself.
All in all, I am not in love with the final product, which is a bummer. My main issue with it is that I think it is too big and thus not terribly flattering. I cut a size 42 (European sizes), which is already based on my high bust rather than bull bust measurement, but I think that because it’s a knit I should have cut a size smaller. I also wish I had shortened it by about 2 inches since I’m not quite 5’2″ and these patterns are drafted for women who are 5’5″ give or take 1.5″.
That said, the t-shirt is completely wearable so not all is lost. I really like the drape and feel of the fabric, which is a good thing because I have a ton of it. I THINK I bought it in Mexico a few years ago. The color is pretty bright, which makes it great for summer.
For more technical details, check out my review of the pattern on PatternReview.
So, I’m going to call this t-shirt a wearable muslin, and thus I will wear it, even if just around the house. The really important thing here is that actually finished SOMETHING! Yay!
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