Lettered Mandy Boat Tee, for the Literary Sewing Circle

 

I finished my project for the Literary Sewing Circle, the Sun Down Motel round! I nearly didn't, because I was waffling between inspirations for this book's project -- I wasn't sure if I wanted to make something more 80s inspired from the 80s storyline (my fave), but this fabric was on my mind from the beginning. So I decided to use it! My first plan of making a Burda swing top didn't work, as I had just too little fabric, so I went for another oversized tee pattern, the free Mandy Boat Tee from Tessuti, which I've made before. It's quite a boxy shape, as you can tell here, but in a light stretchy knit like this one it falls nicely.

The sewing inspo for this one comes from the description of Carly in the contemporary storyline, always dressed like a student in jeans, a tee and a 'stretched out hoodie'. However, my style only extends to the tee part ;) I also thought that this fabric was a great reflection of all the time that Carly spends in the newspaper archives at the Fell Public Library, getting photocopies of all the old clippings mentioning anything about her Aunt Viv or other missing girls. I bought this fabric in Toronto a few years ago now, and am pleased to finally have it off my stash shelf and into my wardrobe :) It also goes well with my recently finished magenta Burda skirt.

This is an easy top, and I find that it works best in lighter knits. It is a bit limited in size, and I add about 1/2" to the arm circumference. You can download this free top pattern at the Tessuti website if you want to give it a go, too. 

I didn't go for an 80s inspiration specifically, but I was able to style this today with the 80s shoes and necklace I thrifted last summer ;) I enjoyed reading this book together with other Literary Sewing Circle participants, and am very comfy in my new literary tee! One of the great features of this top is the neckline darts, a technique I've now used in other knit tops as well. It makes the neckline lie nice and smoothly; download the pattern just to get a look at that if nothing else. I love this print and am happy to  finally be wearing it. 

Check out the Literary Sewing Circle project post for others' makes. And keep your eye on this space for our next Literary Sewing Circle round, coming in Spring 2022.