T-shirt perfected: using Jalie 2805

A t-shirt perfected. Maybe not perfect - although it did come out nicely.  I guess I am thinking that in terms of fit and shape, I have perfected this type of t-shirt for me. Mostly due to a bit of redesign on the neckline.



and a small delight in the results of the binding on that v-neckline. Which I played around with a lot as I was cutting the pieces. To get that satisfying juxtaposition of stripe and color.  This is perhaps the embodiment of a perfect fabric to me. Graphic, angular, predominantly blue, aqua, white. with a touch of black to make it wearable with a lot of other separates. It might seem to bright for many but you know my love for vivid prints. PLUS it was on the half-off shelf at Stone Mountain recently so a nice quality rayon jersey knit top for about $ 10. Score!



Also satisfying, the way the print layout is kinda sorta centered and yet not. Perhaps balanced is the right word?  Or maybe I am reading too much into it. But really - I think that often the success of a final garment is due entirely to some serious thought, concentration and planning when cutting out. There are many times when it actually takes me longer to cut out than sew an item.  And cutting out is my least favorite part of sewing (probably also for most people). Grain - I am a bit of a fanatic. Completely flat - no wrinkles. Pattern placement if a print. For stripes and plaids, checking and double checking. Yeah, all this can be super tedious but pays off in the end.



Getting back to t-shirt perfected.  I highly recommend this pattern which is Jalie 2805. If you sew for yourself and other people - such as small people:) then the value in these Jalie patterns is incomparable. All sizes from small kids through women's size. 4 different necklines, including a turtleneck and the instructions for the V-neckline are so simple and yet result in a perfect binding.

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Also once you get the fit down you can riff on the pattern by changing all kinds of things, neckline width, color blocking, etc.
Which brings me to the changes made. I originally made this pattern back in 2012 (here is a link to that post). And while I really like the original version I wanted the neckline to be a bit more open.
I have this t-shirt which my sis gave me ages ago, from a little boutique in Kailua (Oahu) this is no longer there (sad tears, I bought so many cool things there, t-shirts, swimsuits, sandals and when it closed I was so bummed).  Anyway...the neckline on this v-neck t-shirt is just right for me, not too low but a little lower than the Jalie, a bit wider and slightly rounded.  (note I am not super crazy about the strangely abbreviated sleeves on this t-shirt - and I have another copy in turquoise where the sleeves are a bit more normal shaped). So I decided to copy the neckline of this shirt and apply it to the body of the Jalie top. Because why not? And the Jalie pattern actually facilitates this because the way they fit all the versions on their pattern pages is to separate the tops from the bottoms rather cleverly, so the top portions are interchangeable with the bottom pieces. If you have made a Jalie than you know what I am talking about.
One tiny note about fit: I found the sleeves on the Jalie pattern to be a bit skimpy and I am not particularly broad in the back or arms so to counter that on my chosen Jalie size which I think was U, I added 1/2" width on the back pattern piece at the underarm tapering that away by about 4 inches down. and then added 1/2" extra on the sleeve back to match which alleviated that tightness at the back/underarm area. Like any pattern it needs fitting but once you get it squared away it is a workhorse.



How to copy the neckline? Here is a picture I have that shows a quick and easy method. I think I used this photo on a Craftsy blog post. Wax paper is such a great tracing medium for things that are flat like a t-shirt and you cannot beat the see-through-ability of it.



So that's the scoop on V-neckline t-shirts. Also the neckline binding - I have to admit that I don't use any of the pattern pieces. I just decide on the finished width I want, cut the binding on the cross grain of the knit fabric, fold, press and then baste it on. Yes - I said baste. Machine baste. One of these days I will have to do a post in praise of basting.  Which I don't often see mentioned on sewing blogs but I baste a lot. How else can you check fit and adjust? Or maybe its just that no one mentions it. But I think the former - not done and you should try it :)
Back to the t-shirt neckline, I use the Threads Magazine video method. I have linked to this before and if they ever take down this video I will be bummed as it is the best explanation I have seen for this technique. Plus no pattern piece required!

Realizing I had no photo of me wearing this t-shirt I took this one using the timer feature on my iPhone. Which actually works pretty well. Even though this is kind of a dorky photo. And you can see my bookcase with that big fat copy of Wolf Hall with the red dust cover - probably the current number one "not read" book on many bookshelves. I bought that hardcover at the library $1 sale so low investment and I since I read stuff like that when traveling a gigantic hardcover book is never going to make it into my travel bag. What was I thinking? Oh well. Save it for a rainy day. (ha ha, rainy days are for sewing!)  And I am wearing my Vogue 1170 Rachel Comey skirt in green corduroy.  Which has turned out to be a better wardrobe mix-and-matcher than I would have predicted. (also the black dotted version - nice to wear with a solid top)



Summer sewing in full swing, I am just finishing a dress for Heather using her first Mood fabric (pattern is Vogue 8787, a really nice pattern that is for wovens but I have made the cowl version in knit twice and it is great,  blog post and pics to come with some fitting info).
And some summer and pre-vacation sewing for me. The usual collection of slightly ridiculous tropical prints...hey whatever makes you happy, sewing-wise, right?

Happy summer weekend, Beth

Today's SunnyGal garden photo, these are miniature roses and this plant receives no attention but like most of my roses keeps on blooming.

Vacation wrap-up featuring Jalie 2805 T-shirt

Is summer really over?  The calendar says so but I think we can pretend for a few more weeks. Still sundress and shorts weather, at least in the daytime.  Recently I have been playing around with t-shirt variations and I made a couple of variations of the Jalie 2805 T-shirt.

There was about 3/4 yard remaining after I made the t-shirt so I made a basic pull-on skirt and turned this one into a beach outfit. I am here on a slightly overcast and very windy day at Kailua beach, very famous for kiteboarding, so windy is good! 

I actually made 2 versions, the one on the right is my first version made using an oddball fabric from my stash that seemed useless - but was perfect for a practice t-shirt and has been worn a lot. The first version (white print) has the neckline as designed on the Jalie pattern but it seemed a bit high in the back to me, at least for a summer tee, so I changed the neckline on the second version based on a RTW t-shirt I have and it feels better to wear. 

    

Here is the pattern envelope photo, and a look at the center front of the V.  The pattern purchase is worth it for the info on how to make this section of the garment, plus the fit of these Jalie knit tops is so good.  Yesterday I had a light-bulb moment and realized I could use my traced out Jalie pattern as the starting point to make a Pattern Magic top - so hopefully I will get to that soon.
Since I changed the neckline I ditched the neck band pattern piece and used the method detailed in this Threads video. It works fantastically and is so easy! For the V-neck it takes a little modification but worked just as well.

I see a knit t-shirt mania in my future. Yesterday I was in Nordstrom and thought "I could make that" "they want $ 90 for that?"  The curse of the sewing fanatic, a lot of RTW starts to seem ridiculous.

Now for a little vacation wrap-up and PR for the island of Oahu.  Many vacations plus over the years several family members have lived there so I have been lucky enough to spend a lot of time in the state. I have traveled to all the islands but my favorite is Oahu. Perhaps I am a bit defensive as most people who go to Oahu see only Waikiki beach which is beautiful in its way but a huge tourist destination with all that comes with that. The city of Honolulu is vibrant, interesting, crowded in parts, lush and quiet in parts, and has all the pluses and minuses of a large city, albeit one that is situated in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The island of Oahu has a huge variety of things to do, fantastic beaches all over the island, every kind of water sport you can think of, and the food is fantastic. (fun for a N. Calif. foodie like me!)

Here is picture I took during an early morning walk on Kailua Beach. Now I am convinced you can get a good photo with an Iphone. Same spot as the first photo in this post with a bit more sunshine. Windward Oahu, the east side of the island. Kailua and Lanakai beach are really all one long beach, and both have been #1 on the Dr. Beach list of best beaches (for beach maniacs like me this is important news!)


And a look in the other direction.  A beautiful beach in a quiet little town (and the place that President Obama vacations with his family when he is home in the islands).  Click here for look at the local support for our president.

Near the end of our vacation, we were on our way to one of our favorite restaurants (Town in Kaimuki) and I joked that we hadn't seen any of our favorite local celebs and that maybe we would see someone at this restaurant.  My family is/was obsessed with the TV show Lost - of course we were, it was entirely filmed on Oahu. I will never know why I started watching that show as I rarely watch continuing drama type shows but for some reason I saw the Lost pilot episode and stuck with it for the entire show. To this day I still think about it and the themes they convered. If you watched Lost then you will know what I am talking about.  Say it and they will come!  In the middle of dinner in walked Daniel Dae Kim, from Lost and now Hawaii 5-0.  He was seated at the table next to us but we maintained our cool.  More proof that Honolulu is a big city/small town.  (For you Lost fans, check out this link to my Flickr with some photos I took ages ago at a charity event.)  

In the background of my beach photos above you can see two small islands, the Mokulua Islands commonly referred to as "the Mokes".  You can reach them via kayak quite easily and I found this blog which has a fantastic photo essay on the Mokes as well as other locations on Oahu. If you are thinking about Oahu check it out and you will see there is more to the island than tourist shops and crowded beaches.  Warning - that blog is mesmerizing and I take no responsibility for loss of your time spent gazing at the incredibly beautiful images!   

Happy Sewing,  Beth

and I can't help myself, one more image I took a few years ago of this beautiful spot.  

Actually made some separates!

When it comes to dresses or tailored items I have no end of inspiration and ideas but as for separates - I rarely sew them.  And yet I look in my closet for something to wear.  I am trying to remedy that lately, a recent project was this shirt and I am about ready to use some blue silk charmeuse on a long sleeve shirt, hopefully before December is over.  But in the meantime I did make this knit top and denim skirt.  According to my photographer, I am a blinker - so this photo was the best of the bunch.

The top is the ubiquitous Jalie scarf-collar top, and I do feel that as usual I am the last person in the sewing universe to make a popular pattern.  Fabric is a rayon knit from Stone Mountain in Berkeley which I bought on a rainy Sunday shopping excursion with Jean of JKaori Designs. Not sure I will make that top again, the tie is a bit flip-floppy for me and it is kind of distinctive.  However the Jalie pattern fits well and I can see using it as a starting point for other tops.

The skirt is black denim with maybe 4% lycra which I am starting to think is too much stretch. Plus I have my hands in the pockets, creating some creases across the front which are really not there. I used Simplicity 2152 but the pockets are nothing like the pattern where the pockets are sewn on the outside of the skirt, albeit into the seams.   
I wanted the pockets to be inside the side fronts, plus I eliminated the pocket trim.  
Here is a closer look at the pockets.  As it turned out the pocket placement is much higher and nearer the waistband than on the original pattern design.

For the inside of the waistband I used a different fabric, I wanted something less bulky than the denim but not slippery, so that it would stay on the waist.  I have always found that skirts lined all the way to the waistband have an annoying tendency to rotate around and then my center front is somewhere on the side.  Or maybe that is just me? But to counter that I used this cotton fabric scrap and then lined the skirt portion in satin, as I wanted to be able to wear tights in the winter and I don't like it when the denim sticks to tights.  Whew, that is a lot of thinking about the inside of a skirt.  Oh well, the fun of sewing, you can do whatever you want! 

As evidenced when I made this dress last year - with the mix and match lining.

I have a feeling I will probably wear this skirt a lot more in the summer than now. . . is it spring yet?   And see in the first photo - we do get some autumn color here in CA.  

Happy Fall Sewing, Beth