I have Cal Patch to thank (again) for this little Basic Tee. I drafted a pattern for this using my measurements, her instructions, and a healthy dose of trial-and-error to get the right fit. I know I’ve said this already, but I highly recommend her book.
My biggest (and really the only) mistake was measuring too far across my shoulders. I have broad shoulders for my small frame, but my shirts do not need to be as broad as I measured. So the first pattern draft looked bizarre. Can you tell? That shoulder is ridiculous. But I had no idea.
I even compared it to a shirt that fits me (from GAP), but didn’t get the hint that I was way off. Until I sewed the entire shirt together…
And the tops of my shoulders were drooping down to my biceps. I did not take pictures. :)
Then came the seam ripper.
I took 2 inches off the width of my shoulders. Thankfully, the sleeves didn’t need to be changed, and since I had too much fabric, I just cut off the excess and reinserted the sleeves.
And Voila!
I added sleevebands to the ends of the sleeves instead of finishing them with a double-turned hem. I simply measured the width of the ends of my sleeves and made a rectangle that width (plus seam allowances) and the height I wanted the bands (x 2). Then I sewed the bands up their sides, folded them wrong sides facing, and then attached them to the raw edges of the sleeves.
Now that I’ve taken pictures of myself in the shirt, I can see that the shoulder angle is a bit off. Since I changed the armholes, the shoulder angle needed to be adjusted too. But I had already sewn reinforcement and was too lazy to pick out all those stitches. Thus, I think that ever-so-slight angle problem is causing the slight bunching near my underarms. At least, I think that’s the problem.
Cal?
P.S. You can see what others are making from Design-it-Yourself in the Flickr Group. :)
January 26th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
I wish I had your email address! You could *totally* make the anthro swimsuits. I have faith in you. xo
January 26th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I’ve been reading that book in the morning with breakfast…I want to really *understand* how the clothing items come together so that hopefully I’ll make one that fits! You shirt turned out great!
January 26th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
I hear you saying it’s not perfect, but when I look at it I think it is. Great job!
January 26th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
I’m dabbling in pattern making too! I learned it once in college while I was studying costume design, but I forgot after having kids. I’m impressed by your bold use of a knit! I think it looks fabulous.
January 26th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
hey! after looking at amazon I realized that I have that book too. It was my present to myself with my christmas money. I made a corduroy skirt from the basic skirt pattern. I think I’m going to add a waistband though.
January 26th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Wow that’s impressive Kristena!!!
January 26th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
i think it looks FANTASTIC!!! i can’t see the shoulder slope problem you are referring to. regarding the underarm bunching: one thing i remind my students of is that once we start sewing and making patterns, we become a little hyper-critical of the things we make. try on some of your favorite T’s that you DIDN”T make and see how they compare. it’s possible the armhole is a bit too big, or not curved exactly right, (i can’t say for sure unless i see the pattern) but i suspect it’s totally fine. i think you’ll find that most T’s tend to bunch somewhat under the armpit… i say, you should be proud of your beautiful shirt!
January 26th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Thanks, everybody! And thanks for the info, Cal! I feel better about it. :)
January 27th, 2010 at 8:25 am
I think it looks great! I especially love thecolor
January 27th, 2010 at 9:01 am
Wow, that looks awesome!!! You’re amazing.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:26 am
very cute! i love that color:)
January 29th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
oh…my mug collection is SO similar! And cups, and plates…
January 29th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
The shirt looks perfect on you! I totally need to start sewing my own clothes for the perfect fit. I have the first two built by Wendy books and a serger…now I just need to get on it!
February 4th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
I just bought this book and read through it twice, and I’m just now starting to draft patterns starting with my baby.
But seeing this on you makes me want to make myself about 15 t-shirts. I have the same broad-shoulder-small-frame issue, and every t-shirt I own has a shoulder seam that at best hits 1″ away from my shoulders and usually more like 2″ away. I want to have normal looking arms, and sleeves that come to where they are supposed to, not 2″ higher than my wrists.
I love your shirt, and you are making me excited to make stuff!
February 8th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
I AM IMPRESSED!