Another Mandy!

When I was recently making the free Athina Top from Tessuti, I started thinking about some of their other free patterns... namely the Mandy Boat Tee, which I've made a few times now. This is one of my fave t-shirt patterns, as I like the silhouette and fit, and it's really the only kind of 'tee' I wear.

Well, this seemed to be the perfect fit for this piece of lovely soft knit I had in my stash. I received this fabric from a library patron who knows I sew; she was clearing out her stash a bit and thought that this print would be perfect for a librarian. She was right! 

I was pleased to find that there was enough fabric here for the Mandy, with just a sliver left over. I cut it carefully, trying to get the centre line of the print down the centre of the front and back. I think it worked! I really like how comfortable this top is, and in this super soft knit it's really fabulous.

I made it with the minor fit changes I have figured out for myself - basically adding 1/2" width to each sleeve at the seam, and making the neckline slightly narrower. The neckline finish is a nice touch, with a dart of sorts put in at the side seams of the neckline; it makes it sit so smoothly. Something to note is that this pattern does have quite limited sizing.

The only small difficulty I have with it is that the fabric is so very soft and stretchy (maybe a bamboo knit?) that it has grown a little in the 3 times I've worn it since I finished it. The hem is a little longer than it was originally! Otherwise I really love it, and hope that the patron who gave me the fabric will pop back into the library on one of the days that I'm wearing this :)

Highlighter Yellow Athina Top

Last week I decided to make an Athina Top from Tessuti, inspired mainly by the #SewFrugal23 challenge on IG. I always enjoy sewing up free patterns & have had this one for a long time, but never made it. Now I have! 

The Athina top is a boxy, oversized tunic kind of top, and I decided to make it from a bright highlighter yellow linen in my stash. I have a lot of this particular linen, and decided it would work nicely for this project. Looking online at some examples of others makes of this pattern, I noticed that quite a few people had added one angled patch pocket, apparently inspired by an Elisabeth Susann piece. I really like the look so copied it, freehanding a pocket slightly smaller than some of the other ones out there. It's my favourite thing about the top now! 

This is quite oversized - I cut a medium, and added some extra width at the hip. But when I sewed it up, I ended up taking 3/4" out of each side, sort of narrowing up the sides until the underarm point. And I think that next time I make it, I will most likely take an inch out of the centre front and back, just to reduce the billowy effect of it! Made it a drapier fabric and a little bit smaller, it will look a bit more like the sample photos. But overall I like this, and despite the linen wrinkles I think I'll enjoy wearing it. I love yellow and this will go with so many of my current pieces. 

The sizing on this free pattern is limited, there's only a range of XS-XL, and as I noted, I fall into the Medium range (although with the generous fit, I could probably make the S). I love their free tee, the Mandy, and now have a similar woven style that I think could also be a new stalwart in my closet. 

Mandy Boat Tee in Maze Print

I had a great fabric that I got from a remnant table, and liked it so much I put it on my #UseNine2020 list. But as often happens with fabric I really love, I was scared to use it in case the pattern wasn't right and I'd have wasted the fabric -- does this happen to you too?

In any case, now that the weather is turning toward fall, I started to feel in the mood for some warmer sewing, and got this cozy knit out again. I decided to repeat a pattern that I know worked for me before, the Mandy Boat Tee. I had just over a metre of this fabric so just enough for the 3/4 sleeve, which is my preference anyhow! 

The first time I made this I noted that the sleeve was pretty tight. This knit isn't very stretchy, so with that in mind I added a pinch of extra space in the sleeve this time, but just barely enough, as they are quite snug -- comfortably so but I'm glad I added that little bit extra! I did want this one fairly close fitting in the shoulder and sleeve, though, as I hope to be able to wear it under some of my jumpers this fall and winter as well as on its own.

But that sleeve size is definitely something to watch. I'm sure in a stretchier knit it would be fine but I'll be adding that extra bit to my pattern so I don't forget if I make this again. 

Like I noted in my first make, the shoulder/neckline finish on this pattern is pretty slick -- it's a simple dart when you're nearly done that makes the shoulder area lie nice and flat and hides any seam allowance perfectly. I can't figure out how it disappears into the seam so invisibly!

Couldn't match stripes at the shoulder. 
Win some, lose some!

I'm pretty happy with this one. I love the fabric and am pleased that the print was able to be arranged in a visually pleasing way on the front of the top. It's a bit too warm this week to wear it (it's a nice heavy knit) but it won't be long before the weather calls for it. 

Are you getting in the mood for some fall sewing? Have you started anything new? I'm bad at planning ahead for the seasons, I just follow my moods once we are into it! But this was a happy result for me. 

Nautical Stripes with the Mandy Boat Tee

Another free pattern to try out! The very popular Mandy Boat Tee made its first appearance on my sewing table this month.

I've been focusing on trying to make up some of the many patterns I already own, and make some new tops. So the ever popular Mandy was a must.

This free pattern used to be only one size, but after some years of people making it and resizing it, Tessuti put out a revised version which now has four sizes. A little more user friendly!

The yard really was this lush this morning! So green!

When I got it out to trace, I found that it was a hand-drawn pattern which was pretty charming. I chose my size (3 = L/XL) and traced it out carefully, but I did find that even with the expanded sizing, the lower arm is pretty snug on my round arms. It might be partly the low stretch factor of the fabric, however.

This fabric has been in my stash for yonks! I picked it up because it was on a super sale a long time ago, planning to make a dress, but I never did. So I used some of it to make this Mandy. I thought the red & white stripes were suitably nautical for a Boat Tee, plus I might be able to wear it for Canada Day (but no luck there, it is supposed to be HOT for Canada Day so I will be going with one of my very lightweight red & white makes!)

In any case, this boxy tee is very boxy indeed. I'm not sure a straight boxy silhouette is the best one for a pear shaped figure -- it feels like there is a little too much excess fabric around my chest/underarm in order for it to fit at the hip, but again, a drapier knit might be perfect.

The sewing was so simple. They have a nice trick to the neckline; you start by turning under and stitching then sew the shoulders together. And when you're done you take a little dart at the neckline edges which magically disappears into the seam with no bulge and helps the neckline lie flat. It's amazing.

You sew the sleeves on flat, and then stitch up the sides and hem. It's so quick. I think that a summery version could easily be made by leaving the sleeve additions off and having just a slouchy shoulder/sleeve-ish finish.

It's a great pattern if you fit into the size range or can adapt it for yourself. Pretty easy. But I think I'll have to try Tessuti's Fave Top, another of their free patterns, next since it looks like a much more natural fit for a pearish figure.