The Maker’s Atelier Woven T-shirt
I’ve probably said before that I like the aesthetic of the Maker’s Atelier. I’ve even bought some of Frances’s relatively expensive patterns recently. I think I have all of her magazines.
The most recent one comes with a ‘free’ pattern for a woven t-shirt, so I headed into Birmingham to find some woven fabric that ‘caught my attention’. The market was disappointing, but Fancy Silk Store had several options.
I am learning to trust TMA patterns. I check the measurements carefully. I grade as necessary, and then I consider lengthening, shortening, taking width out of it etc, etc. But then I don’t! There is always a point during the making process when I think the result will be too short, too wide. In this case I thought it was going to be too short. But it isn’t.
Typically, I didn’t follow the instructions. Deliberately. I sewed the shoulder seams and then added the purchased satin bias binding. I hand stitched the binding on the inside, and best of all, I set in the sleeves in the round; not flat. I’ll use the flat method for jersey, but i’d rather set in woven sleeves. I use my dressmaker’s dummy and find sleeves easy to ease, and can check how they hang.
Setting in the sleeve
The fabric, whilst eye catching, vibrant and lively, was a pain to mark. Whatever method I used, was erased quickly. I sewed the darts pretty much immediately after I had marked them, and basically inserted the sleeves ‘by eye’ checking that I had got them the right way round. To be sure, I even tried it on after I had tacked them in place – just in case. Luckily I had got it right. It’s actually quite comforting to know that I have the skill to do that.
Despite the simplicity of the pattern, it took me 3 hours to make the t-shirt. But with all that hand-stitching and tacking, maybe that’s no surprise. I like the result.
One Week, One Pattern
Me Made May 2016
Me Made May 2015
Simplicity Competition
Sew Over it Patterns
all my own work by ann 