curvysewing – Cloth & Roll

The (Over/Under) Fitted T-Shirt

Pattern: Tarlee T-shirt by Muna and Broad

Fabric: Long sleeve – Little Little knit stripe in burnt orange and grey. Short sleeve – Organic cotton jersey in black. Sleeveless – Cotton corded rib in forest.

I love a classic t-shirt. I like them loose, I like them tight. I like to layer them, I like to tie them in at the waist. The comfort level of an oversized t-shirt puts me in peak relaxation mode, and a tight fitted tee can make me feel super confident.

Oddly I haven’t made many t-shirts before, and maybe I had a sort of smug attitude when it came to making them; I thought it would be a walk in the park. I love the result, but I made some silly fitting decisions along the way that led to both an over and under fitted garment.

I decided to use the Muna and Broad Tarlee t-shirt as a base pattern to work from. I really liked the neckline and collar options offered in the Tarlee. There are options for a simple crew neck, a turtle neck, and a mock turtle. I went with the mock turtle neck just because I don’t always like the feeling of too much fabric bunching around my neck. I also wanted various sleeve options, so I did one long, one short, and winged a no sleeve crop top as well. I used 3 different knits all from Fibresmith online fabric store.

Looking at the fit of the Tarlee on different bodies, I determined I wanted a more fitted shape. With my measurements sitting over 3 different sizes, I rationalised that because I wanted a more fitted shape, I should start with the smallest of those sizes (size C) and make alterations from there. This is where my under fitting started, as I should have gone for the middle size and graded between the others.

I know now that I was not in the right headspace to alter patterns. I always try to come in to sewing with a clear and focused idea of what I want, but that can sometimes spiral into questioning every step that I make. When I took in through the side seams for the tighter fit I desired, I also played around with the armhole, thinking it too needed to come in. On any normal day, I would know never to alter the armhole unless absolutely necessary, so why did I do this now?

Reading Broad In The Seams latest blog I can see my experiences with fitting are shared, but not always with similar results.

I definitely think some level of fitting is necessary. We all have different features that we can be aware of and make allowances for when it calls for in a pattern. But sometimes they are simply unnecessary. Sometimes they are a result of over thinking; seeing others having to make adjustments and determining I have to do the same or the opposite also; not properly testing the pattern before/after making adjustments.

In this case, I would have benefited from toiling my alterations first, but I was in a bulk cutting zone and nothing was going to stop me! The final result is ok. I like the fit through the body and the mock neck is so good, but the armhole swings in too high on my shoulder.

The sleeveless top took a lot of changing for me to be happy with the fit. The rib knit fabric is pretty chunky and stretches out really easily, so that had to be taken in even further at the side seams. The armhole for this DID need work done, as an armhole with a sleeve is a very different shape to one without it, but I’m really happy with the result and my decision to crop. I’m entering a new faze of loving my exposed belly with high waisted pants, and maybe I need to give the same sort of acceptance and love towards my need to over fit and under toile sometimes.

It’s Not Working…

Project: Light robe jacket

Pattern: Started with Peppermint Robe Jacket size D

Fabric: 5oz linen/cotton chambray mid blue from The Fabric Store

At what point of a sewing project do you know it’s not working? You have the fabric, the pattern, and you know exactly what you want to do with them, but as you are putting it together, you realise something just isn’t right.

At the beginning of each project I usually write down “an intention”. Something that gets to the heart of what this make will be, whether it’s testing out a new pattern, or filling a gap in my wardrobe, it’s something I can come back to if I get lost. The intention I wrote for this project was “to make a light layer to wear over long sleeves in winter, or layer in summer for coverage”…sounds simple enough!

Then I came up with the really cool idea; What if I made the jacket reversible? I thought it would be really great to have a dark and light tone layer to choose from, and two jackets are better than one right? I had two blue tone fabrics and the pattern from Peppermint magazine and I began cutting with fervour! I cut and constructed the jackets up to the point of joining them. I laid them one inside the other, put it on and looked in the mirror. I squinted at the reflection staring back. This was just not working…It was not what I wanted.

The jacket was heavy from the two layers, the shape of the pattern also wasn’t right, and I saw right then how far I had drifted away from my original intention with one little idea. I had over thought what was in essence a very simple project, and I knew in my gut it wouldn’t be something I’d reach for. Feeling annoyed, I left the jacket for the day.

It was easy to be hard on myself and overly critical in the moment, but with some time away from the project my frustration eased. It’s not always the case that these projects can be saved, and indeed at this point many end up in the “unfinished outfits” pile. But that does not mean they are FAILS. When I first learnt to sew, nearly all my projects went to the “unfinished outfits” pile. It’s HARD! And it’s easy to lose focus.

That’s when I returned to my original intention and it was like the clouds in my brain cleared, and I knew what I had to do to get back on track.

I separated the layers and chose only to work with the top light chambray. I cropped the jacket taking off about 15cm from the bodice hem and 10cm from the sleeve hem and straightened the lines. This gave it a much more square and structured feel. I decided to make the collar more of a simple bind 1.5cm wide, topstitched in place. I’m not a huge fan of overlocking seams, especially if there is a chance they may be seen, so I used some left over bias binding and did a Hong Kong finish over the seam allowances together.

There was a junction where all the bias bound seams met that I found really satisfying to look at! I made a small patch pocket and added it to the front on one side.

What I ended up with was very different to the original pattern, but it completely fulfilled my original intention. I’m so happy with this simple addition to my wardrobe and I know it will become a well worn item.

To Toile or Not To Toile

Pattern – McCall’s 7969 size XXL

Fabric – Double cloth “Earth” from Spotlight, calico for toile

Notions – Rasant 120, clothing label

Definitions – Toile: make a test garment in a similar fabric to evaluate fit.

Look, I’ll start by saying, I rarely toile. If I have fabric and a pattern in mind, I’ll usually jump right in and start cutting and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes I can make alterations on the fly, and sometimes I’ve just got to live with what I cut.

But I want to get out of that habit. I feel like patterns can only start to become tried and true (TNT) when I know they suit my style, they can be made up in the fabrics that I like to wear, and when all alterations have been made for the desired fit.

So when I fell into the sea of gorgeously gathered balloon sleeves on the #M7969 pattern, I knew I wanted to take my time to get it right. So here is a run through on how I toiled and made alterations to the pattern.

I toiled in calico, which is pretty standard. It was close enough if a little stiffer than my main fabric but did the job. Sometimes washing and machine drying calico can soften it up if that is what’s needed.

I realised I would only need to toile the top half of the garment so I only worked with the bodice and sleeve pieces. Often when toiling I will only make up one half of the garment, especially if I’m only fitting to a mannequin. I went into auto mode and only cut one sleeve and bodice…lol this was just not going to work with this pattern!

Looking at some of the alterations that folk my size made, I had an idea where alterations would need to be made. I marked out the pattern quickly in pencil and added extra seam allowance (SA) to the waist, the side seam, and the raglan armhole on the bodice and the sleeve. I wrote on the pattern how much SA was there in total so I wouldn’t lose track. On refection I probably didn’t need to add so much, but it’s one of those things that is a bit awkward to add or guess if you don’t have it!

I used a contrasting thread on a long stitch to mark the waist and centre front. You can do this with any visible design lines like hems, necklines, or cuffs as well to give you a better idea of the finished length.

I like to sew my toiles using a long stitch so they are easier to unpick (or rip open!) on the go if need be.

I decided to do some tests on each sleeve to see how different the gathers on the sleeve head and cuff would sit if I used a longer or shorter stitch length. The longer stitch length created larger tucks which made a slightly rounder, higher puff. The shorter stitch length made smaller, more delicate gathers that sat slightly flatter and were easier to disperse more evenly.

Long stitch gathers and wider opening at wrist

Small stitch gathers and tighter at wrist

The pattern called for a wider opening on the sleeve cuff, but again after testing on each side I pulled the gathers in tighter for a more fitted and extra balloony shape.

When trying on I noticed that the front neckline was gapping. Although the pattern calls for the bias bind to be pulled tightly over the finished neckline which would help, it is often the case with low or crossed front necklines that they need to be tightened for a better fit. I pinched out a dart on both sides and saw how it felt. Taking it back to the pattern I averaged the amount from both darts and dispersed the amount along the front and back armhole and sleeve head, folding back to create a new seam line.

Gap dart at neckline marked in after altering on body.

I also ended up lowering the waist by about 1cm all around. On reflection I could have just done this at the front, as the back seems to sit a bit lower, but I think I’ll live with this one!

And then…it was time to cut! This terracotta/earth tone is something I’ve been wanting to push myself to try as my comfort zone colour is usually anything blue. But I love it! The double cloth was also something I’d never worked with before. Doing some pressing tests it didn’t take much to over press the fabric and have it lose its bubbled texture. So I recommend gentle steaming without putting the full weight of the iron on the fabric.

I don’t have that many dresses in my wardrobe so I was excited to add one that I absolutely love now. It had it’s first outing at a birthday picnic last weekend, and was the floaty dream I had hoped it would be.

My top tips for toiling:

Use a similar fabric to what you will eventually cut or even one you could make a wearable toile from
Mark out design lines for easy reference
Use a longer stitch length to make it easier to make quick alterations
Add extra seam allowance where you think you might need it
Write notes as you go so you don’t forget, I write mine on my toile sometimes!
Try out different techniques or finishes on each side if you aren’t sure about the way it looks
Wear the undergarments you would normally wear with the finished garment when trying on your toile. I usually go bra free when I’m sewing at home but that would make a very different fit and look!
Keep toiles for recycling into other toiles or test garments

Would love your thoughts on this very first Cloth & Roll blog post and whether you toile or throw all caution to the wind when making! Checkout my insta for further videos of the process. If you have any questions as well please don’t hesitate to ask.