I am always trying to find the perfect t-shirt pattern. You know not too tight. I guess this is my age showing on me. I chose to look deep into my pattern stash and pulled out a Stretch & Sew t-shirt pattern from 1990. Here is the pattern view:
I am going to make View A with long tapered sleeves and regular hems. Now, I need to figure out the needed size. I can still wear the t-shirt that I made years ago. It is a little tight in the belly area. After a lot of measuring, I decided on a 36 for the shoulder area and a 44 for the remaining body of the t-shirt.
The pattern requires a 25% stretch. I found a Walmart cut that I think will work for a test or maybe a wearable muslin. I am hoping the only thing that will be difficult will be getting the double needle or coverstitch. This should be a fairly quick project. Here is the result:
The t-shirt/top is not perfect but it is certainly wearable for an item that I just traced out and stitched. I had wanted a mock turtleneck but I kept playing with the length and width until it felt right. So, the neckband is not a mock turtleneck nor it is a typical crewneck. It is somewhere in between.
The next time I make this I will need to address the problems - the neckline is a little too high, a full bust adjustment is very much needed, and that back wrinkle. I am not sure about it. It seems to be something new but it has shown up on the last two t-shirts that I have made. It could be a round back alteration needed. On many patterns, I make a high round back alteration. I did not on this one. Maybe the tape measure will provide the answer.
Happy Stitching!
