Wine Red Hybrid Blouse

When I went fabric shopping a few days ago I came upon this wine red rib knit and immediately fell in love with the color - it is so much me. I bought about 1.2 m with no particular idea for a pattern, but such fabric length is usually sufficient for a simple longsleeve for me.

However, it turned out that the fabric is narrower than the usual 1.4 m. And as it is rib knit and very plastic and fluid, I wanted something not very tailored. But not too oversized too - I have an oversized RTW rib knit sweater, which I never wear. So, after much deliberation, I decided on Plantain. It is a simple free T-shirt pattern, fitted around the bust and slightly flaring at the hips. 

Plantain has a deep scoop neck, but from the very beginning I knew I wanted screw neck and, if possible, something like a turtleneck. So I also took out my Burda #112 10/2021 turtle neck top with bishop sleeves and modeled the neck of the front after the Burda blouse. Once I cut the front and the back, I decided that I didn't actually want 3/4 sleeves, like in the Plantain. However, I did not have a long enough piece of fabric for two normal size sleeves. 

And then I got the brilliant idea to make the sleeves like in the Burda pattern - bishop sleeves with long cuffs. I drafted a new sleeve, using the upper part of the Plantain sleeve, to fit the armhole of the body, but the lower part is from the Burda pattern. I cut the sleeves as long as I could fit them on my fabric and drafted the cuffs and the neckpiece from the last remnants of the fabric. The neckpiece is twice as shorter as I would have preferred it, but that was all the fabric I was left with. In the end I was able to use up the entire piece of fabric with just the tiniest cuts and scraps left - I feel weirdly über-satisfied when I am able to do this :)

Once I assembled the blouse, I became convinced that the bishop sleeves were actually its best feature - otherwise it would have looked too plain and pedestrian. I am definitely keeping the idea in mind and I want at least one more blouse with such sleeves.

Pattern: Plantain by Deer & Doe (body) and  Burda #112 10/2021

Size: 34, shortened, modified neck and sleeves

Fabric: polycotton rib knit, 115 cm

Time to make: 2 days

Black Grasser T-Shirt

My latest most favourite long sleeve! It is so soft, so warm, I don't want to take it off, ever :)

Recently I became intrigued by another Russian sewing pattern company - Grasser. They have a range of patterns in various sizes AND HEIGHTS, and their cut looks to me interesting and with a more modern vibe. I bought two patterns - a hoodie and a cowl neck sweater and in the end made their free pattern - the T-shirt :)

I had a piece of very soft and drapey brushed cotton double knit and I bought the cowl sweater pattern specifically for it, as the fabric had the exact characteristics for that sweater. However, after I assembled the pattern, I took out and measured my piece of fabric only to find out that it was smaller than I had remembered it - only 62 cm long, so it was only half of what was needed for the sweater. Still, it was a very nice piece of fabric and I was sure I could make something out of it!

And as I still wanted to test the new company, I downloaded their free T-shirt pattern. I chose size 40 (xs) based on my bust measurement and height 158-164 cm and I cut the top without any corrections for height as I usually have to do - such a relief! The pieces barely fit my narrow fabric and I had to make the neckband out of two pieces, as I didn't want to shorten the sleeves or the body and there was just not enough fabric to spare for the band. My only modification to the pattern - I made the neckband higher. I've never been a fan of turtle neck sweaters, but I like the high neck on this one and I think it fits the overall style of this long sleeve.

Pattern: Free T-shirt by Grasser

Size: 40 height 158-164 cm

Fabric: brushed double knit, cotton, 62 cm

Thread: black polyester

Time to make: 1 day

 

Pictures from my phone from our walk through the center of the city today on a bleak January Sunday.