Fancy Raglan T Shirt

 

I couldn't think of a fancy name for this post, so I put the word fancy in hoping it would make it well..'fancy'.  This T shirt is pretty damn fancy as T shirts go.  I did not buy the material in the op shop and I did not get it on the reduced rack in Spotlight..oh no.

It was snaffled on a brief visit to Perth in January at Potter's textiles.  I don't get to Perth often and very, very rarely on a weekday (when they are open) so it was probably a once in a 5 year thing.  Great little shop which you have to look on a map to find, or an iphone.  They supply material wholesale to designers, manufactures etc. and, quite recently I think, opened up a little shop for people like us attached to their warehouse/offices.

This knit is a mix of viscose, wool, spandex, maybe a bit of polyester?? can't remember exactly.  It is incredibly fine and lightweight and I brought 1 meter of it for about $15.  (and of course a heavily reduced 2m of white jersey with some minor imperfection on it).  I had planned to buy some nice jersey and to make myself more practical every day things, so it all went pretty well to plan.

I made this.  A gathered raglan T shirt, from...you guessed it...Burda Style.  This is from feb 13.  I test sewed a bit of the fabric on my overlocker and it promptly chewed it to bits.  Its pretty ancient and doesn't have a knit setting or anything and I couldn't be bothered to fiddle around.  Impatient and undeterred I decided to just sew it on my normal machine.  This actually seemed to work ok with a narrow zig zag.  I had a couple of slipped stiches but not many considering how fine and slippy the fabric is.

it was almost as long as a dress though, albeit a short one, so I was wondering what to do and whether to cut some off when I kind of gathered it around my waist.  This looked like a good solution so I just sewed some elastic into the sides at the bottom to pull it up.  I could have done with a bit of a longer bit of elastic to go to nearer my waist but it works.  I left the hem raw.

Pluses:

• Sewed it up in a night.
• I really like the gathered raglan sleeve detail.
• The material is so comfortable.  Light, stretchy - definitely worth the money!
• My husband really likes it and couldn't believe I made it.
• It goes great with my skinny jeans and I have worn it lots.

Minuses:

• Its longer than I would normally wear, and a bit clingy meaning that, after too many cakes at christmas, I feel better wearing it with a belt.  It gives me a reason to wear my nice belt though. I would make a shorter one next time.
• Because it looks like I could have brought it from a fancy t shirt shop no one imagines I might have made it.  So no compliments.  Then again that might just be because.... really.... its just a grey t shirt!

Random attempt at Yoga, showing versatility of denim skirt which I will write about tomorrow.