A TNT "Tea" Tee

This month's Monthly Stitch theme is "Cheers for New Years!" -- making anything inspired by your favourite drink.  While I had initially thought about doing something a little more flashy -- hmm, maybe a martini-inspired cocktail frock, or perhaps a hot chocolate inspired sweater knit tunic -- I found this immensely soft piece of fabric on the sale table and snapped it up.

Well, my actual favourite drink is tea, all kinds of tea, at all times of day. And this print looks like tea leaves, or tea bags, in every colour of tea, Assam, Darjeeling, Green, Oolong or White. Perfect!

And I even have a "Matcha-ing" sweater! :)

Since there was only just a yard in this remnant, I went with one of my only TNT patterns, Kwik Sew 3559. I love this pattern. While it's a dress pattern, I've only used it to make t-shirts, 3 in total now. I'm already looking at the next one, and planning on cutting the neckline a little higher. I'd forgotten that with a light and thin stretchy knit the neckline scoops a little lower when you are wearing it. The second version from a heavier knit doesn't have the same effect.

first version

second version

It's a quick and easy pattern, with only three pieces if you don't make a facing for the neckline as called for in the pattern. I just turned under & stitched, but am thinking about a contrast neck binding next time for variety.

It's a soft, lightweight tunic that it forgiving to the figure and in its short-sleeved version especially, it sits nicely under a sweater or jacket. I never blogged my second make, and don't have too much new to say about the construction details this time either. Read the original review if you would like my first thoughts on it -- my current thoughts are just that the type of knit that you use really affects the way the final product fits. Again, a softer and more stretchy knit will, not surprisingly, stretch a bit when you wear it. So be aware of necklines and shoulder widths; mine both need to be adjusted a little, which I will remember to do next time round!

I took these photos at my local tea shop, Distinctly Tea, run by a mother & daughter team of tea sommeliers. They are wonderful; friendly and knowledgeable, and they've partnered with me for the last two years to produce an Evergreen tea which supports both the Evergreen Award (a provincial reading program) and my local library. What goes better together than tea and books, after all? PS - this tea can be shipped to the US, and with our exchange rate, it's a steal! Just saying :)

Hope you've enjoyed this little tea break with me.