I'm so tired of trying to find the perfect t-shirt that I've embarked on a quest to make my own. The ones in the store are either too loose, too tight, too low cut, or too high cut (I'm seriously not as picky as I sound, I just want a comfy shirt that fits!). I found some 100% cotton knit fabric at Hobby Lobby (5.99 yd and about 56 inches wide) and some dye with my goal being a decent grey t-shirt. I'm using Simplicity 4076 which is a terrific pattern and was voted "A Best Pattern" at Pattern Review.
The shirt went together pretty quickly since I already had the pattern cut out for some tops I made a couple of years ago. I decided to add a little decorative stitching with my machine and I like the effect. I'm leaving the sleeve edges raw but I added a little zig-zag to make it interesting. I really like the gathers in the front.
Okay, so here it is after dying it and I'm really happy with this shade of grey (I used half of the bag of black dye to get this shade). I think I will make the dye a little more diluted next time and stir it in the bowl longer. The over-all color came out a little mottled but I didn't want to leave it in too long. The neckline is crooked (see how it's lower on the left) and I think I'll make it just a smidge higher next time (maybe 1/2 inch to give me coverage when I bend over and move around).
I will definitely use a ball point needle next time too since I ended up with a couple of pinholes around the neckline. I'm happy with the sleeve edges, it looks kind of fun and casual.
Okay, here it is on me. I'm going to take the pattern in at the shoulders and upper body part because when I made this the first time I was nursing a baby so I needed more room. Not an issue anymore. I kind of like the way the bottom curls up so that's an option I may use again.
I'd like to find some fabric with a touch of poly just to cut down on the wrinkles but I really like the weight of this fabric. My goal is to get this pattern down to a great fit and then do a few neckline options like a square neck and v-neck, and maybe some sleeve options too.
I had fun trying this out and although it's not perfect it'll be fine for around the house. The next one should be much better and I'm dying it teal so that will be fun. If I can get this figured out my hope is to have a closet filled with nice fitting t-shirts in great colors that coordinate with some of my favorite fabrics.
Jessica Levitt has a fabric announcement over at her blog and it's a good one. I was lucky enough to get a peek at her designs at quilt market and her collection (named Timber) is going to be beautiful (great colors and seriously original designs)! I can't wait! Also, Heather has her next collection's strike-offs in hand so it won't be long before she releases another stunning line (yippy!). No she's not sharing peeks yet but c'mon, she's Heather Bailey! You know it's going to be amazing! Oh, and Sandi just received her latest strike-offs too (and you know that's going to be gorgeous) so things just keep getting exciting around here!
I hope you're having a great weekend!!
