More New Look 6217

Oh what a wonderful pattern New Look 6217 is! I've lost count of how may tops I've made with it...and look! here's two more that I made for my recent holiday to Prague and Vienna. Yes, we were in Europe (Vienna actually) when the Brexit vote was announced. What can I say? Stunned, shocked, gutted, angry, totally fascinated by UK politics (never thought I'd EVER say that!) and wondering how the hell all of this is going to pan out...especially as I live in Scotland which adds another 'interesting' dimension to the situation too! So, back to the halcyon days of pre-Brexit when I went a bit mad before our holiday and decided I HAD to sew some tops because I didn't have ANY! Not quite true but you know how it is...

I now always eliminate the back neck slit, button and button loop as they're just not needed. I used bias binding for both tops at the neck. For the magenta top I also used bias binding for the sleeves. For the patterned top I overlocked the edges, turned them back and sewed the hem up with a straight stitch. The hems for both tops I overlocked the raw edge then using my sewing machine sewed a line of stitching 2cm from the edge. Fold up the 2cm hem along the stitching, it's much easier to do and creates a smooth finish when you have a curved hem edge. Press along the folded edge all around, then using the sewing machine stitch around the hem. Press again. Yes, I'll admit it, I'm addicted and obsessional about pressing and...confession time...I even press stay stitching!

I bought the patterned fabric in the John Lewis sale a few months ago. It's quite light weight and is 100% viscose. The magenta crepe I also bought in John Lewis, not in the sale, and it's 100% polyester. I just love the colour though.

So I did take these tops on holiday (sometimes it doesn't quite work out that way, does it?) and wore them both. I just love this pattern and there will be more of them on this blog although I will try to blog multiple garments to save your boredom. It amazes me how different each of the finished tops look depending on the fabric and print used.

Some Plantain tshirts

There's been a bit of blog-silence from me lately as I've been on holiday to Prague and Vienna. Lovely cities...the same...but different! So of course there was the obligatory pre-holiday panic-sewing to be done and of course, I didn't quite get everything sewn that I'd planned to but that was fine. Since I came back I haven't been feeling that great, definitely caught a cold or some type of virus and just ache!

So, back to the sewing. I thought I needed to sew some tshirts and after perusing the internet for a while, I kept coming back to the Deer and Doe Plantain pattern, which is also free to download if you register for an account. Instructions are in English or French.

Here's the first Plantain sewn from a cotton jersey with a bit of lycra in it. I added 1" to the body length, cut a size 42 for the shoulders and sleeve heads and cut size 44 for the rest of the tshirt. I used the overlocker for the seams and sewed the sleeve and body hems with a twin jersey needle. The neckband was also sewn with a twin needle to give it a good finish. I felt this tshirt neckline was a smidgeon low for my preference. Everything else was good and I like the length of the sleeves.

Time for version two so I cut into the expensive black bamboo jersey. The only thing I did differently this time was to cut the neckline front along the cutting line for the smallest size on the pattern, but cut the sides and back of the neckline for the size 44. If you understand all that!

The neckband is a tiny smidgeon too long so there's a slight looseness at the front of the neckband but I can live with that as I always wear a scarf with a tshirt. You might be able to see what I mean in this photo.

Some of this looseness is possibly due to the bamboo fabric, which has a certain bouncy-ness to it, it loves to stretch but has great recovery. I'll know next time and there will be a next time for this pattern! I've even got some bamboo for a longer sleeved top and this is such a great pattern for a basic layering top. I just need to find some more bamboo in different colours!

I'd recommend using this pattern for layering tshirts, long, elbow and short sleeved versions. I prefer the bamboo version as the fabric makes a difference in how the final garment behaves and I prefer a bit of drape with my tshirts. I managed to find a dry spell in between the rain showers but it was cold taking these photos outside but that might be because I'm not feeling well.  My phone says it's 16 degrees...sheesh! what a Scottish summer! Yesterday we had a thunder and lightning storm in the afternoon which I managed to sleep through on the sofa. Bliss! I managed to get some more photos taken in this photo shoot before hurtling indoors to warm up so expect some more posts soon!