Mandy Boat Tee | Version 1

This post has been a long time in the making as it has been quite a while since I finished this shirt (it actually made an appearance in this post about what was going on with me this past fall/winter). I have come to believe, though, that there are merits in waiting to blog about finished garments, like knowing how it fits in my wardrobe (i.e. if I actually wear it) and also how it fits (can I make any adjustments for future versions). With that being said, I *probably* didn't need the 8+ months that have passed since I completed this shirt to find out that information. Oh well. Better late than never, as they say.

So let's talk about Mandy. The Mandy Boat Tee is a free pattern offered by Australian based fabric store Tessuti Fabrics. There are couple of things that instantly drew me to this pattern: FREE (because, duh) and the drop shoulder (because, I like them). I was skeptical about the "one-size-fits-all" and the boxiness of the top. I tend to stay away from patterns that use boxy in the description (for me usually boxy = not flattering), but I figured it's a free pattern, so what did I really have to lose? Luckily, I don't think it turned out too bad after all!

The fabric I used is a dark eggplant purple rayon blend knit from JoAnn's. It was a red-tag fabric and $5/yard, so if things ended up going bad I wouldn't cry over the loss of fabric. I knew the rayon would give the shirt a nice drape which I would need/want with this style top, and it also has a very subtle metallic heather to it that I liked, which you can see in the close up below. It's not the most terrible quality fabric I've ever worked with; it's pretty soft (thanks to the rayon, I'm sure) but it does lack a little bit in the recovery department. For $5/ yard it is pretty much what I expected.

Even before I hit download on the pattern I knew I was going to have to do some altering to get a fit that I liked. For this version I only made two changes: I ended up taking 4 inches from the sides of both the front and back pattern pieces and graded to nothing at the shoulder seam. I used a shirt from American Eagle that I have had foreverrr but really like as guide for how much to take off. I also lowered the front neckline by 2 inches. For the construction I kept it simple; I serged all the seams and did a simple turn and topstitch on the neckline, arms, and bottom hem with a twin needle.

Overall, I am OK with how this first attempt turned out. After wearing it, I knew the biggest thing that needed adjusting was the neckline. It's realllyyy wide and tends to want to slide off my shoulders. I don't mind that slouchy off-the shoulder look but I find myself constantly pulling the shirt back onto my shoulders throughout the day which is kinda annoying. The not-so-great recovery of the fabric also means the arms stretch out a bit and I find myself always pushing them up. If they were a bit tighter or I used fabric with better recovery so they stay in place then the off-the-shoulder problem might be alleviated a bit. Despite the not-perfect fit and fabric, I still got a decent amount of wear out of it this winter/spring (Central VA summers are a bit too hot and humid for 3/4 length sleeves) and I actually made a second version-- stayed tuned for a post with all of those details.

Have you ever tried the Mandy Boat Tee pattern? Did you make any adjustments to the pattern? How did it turn out for you? I do have plans to make more, so I would love to know!

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Pattern:	Mandy Boat Tee by Tessuti Fabrics
Fabric:	Rayon Blend Metallic Heather Knit from JoAnn's
Body Measurements:	Bust 36/Waist 29/Hip 38 (in inches)
Size:	N/A, one size
Adjustments/Alterations:	4 inches from front and back side seams graded to nothing at shoulder seam, lowered front neckline 2 inches

Hey What's Up Hellooo

HEY.

My blogging these last few (cough *6* cough) months has been sporadic at best. I could lie and say "I didn't have time" but that's a pretty lame excuse. It's actually my least favorite excuse. I wholeheartedly believe that we make time for the things that are important to us, so to say I didn't have time to blog(sew) is to say that blogging(sewing) is not important to me but it IS! I love this little space I've created to share and document projects that I put so much time and heart into. It was a tough winter for me (for a laundry list of reasons that I won't go into here), and I just didn't get much blogging or sewing done.  But I don't want to focus on what didn't get done, instead let's talk about what I HAVE been doing these last 6+ months.

SEWING. I have actually been sewing more the past 6 months than I ever have in my entire life, because it's my job. The entire month of February and some of March, I made Roman Shades. Every single weekday, and even a few weekend days, too, I was making Roman Shades. I think I made an average of 20 a week. It was ridiculous. As far as sewing for fun, I made a few skirts, a couple shirts, some scarves. Not a whole lot, really.

BLOGGING. I guess you could say I've been cheating on this little blog of mine, because I have been blogging for the company I work for. At the beginning of the year I was tasked with creating content for our blog and parts of our website and it's been a great learning experience. I still feel like I have a lot to figure out and I feel like there is so much more I want to do, especially with the blog. But Rome wasn't built in a day, right? #supercheesycliché #sorrynotsorry If you are curious you can check out our blog/website here.

BUYING STUFF (fabric, patterns, and machines!). I just told ya'll that I haven't been doing much sewing for myself, but you wouldn't know it by the amount of fabric and patterns I've been buying. I think I finally got myself under control and have an embargo in place on spending in both of those areas, at least until I have another amazing idea that I just have to have that fabric/pattern right then. No, but really though, I'm not, because I am NOT buying fabric or patterns (probably). Oh and by the way, I got a serger and an industrial sewing machine!! *Does crazy sewing lady happy dance* I purchased my serger back in October, a Brother 1034-D. My regular machine is a Brother and I have been nothing but happy with it, so I figured this machine, which is super popular among the home sewing crowd, would be a good place to start for someone who has no serger knowledge or experience. It's sorta a long/complicated story but I also came into possession of an industrial sewing machine. All you need to know is it was bought for a specific project, that project is still on my to-do list, and I'm still so intimidated by the machine that I have not even attempted to teach myself how to use it. But I'll be sure to keep ya'll posted with any updates on the #GreatIndustrialSewingMachineSaga and eventually give ya'll the whole back story, too.

MOVING MY SEWING AREA. Up until a couple of months ago, the only place for me to sew was in our (fairly small) living room. Now one of the bedrooms has opened up and I get my very own sewing ROOM, which I've never had before and am very excited about. It is still very much a work in progress, but I already feel so much more organized which I hope will translate to more productive. My favorite part? This huge mirror I found at a local thrift store, Class and Trash, for ONLY $15! You can fully expect an influx of #mirrorpics on Instagram and I am not even the least bit sorry because ONLY $15!

That pretty much sums up what's been going on over here for the last several months. If you want to see what I'm up to when I disappear from the blog, you can always follow me on Instagram (that's where you can find me most consistently).

P.S. The inspiration for the post title is probably the best worst song in my life right now.

#handmadescarfswap

It's cold here. Like REALLY cold. Like single digit temperatures cold. I understand that in parts of the country/world this is not uncommon for February, but I don't live in those parts of the country/world for that very reason. I live in Central Virginia, it is not supposed to get this cold here! I've always said I don't mind the cold as long as there's snow, and we got a bit over 6 inches on Monday/Tuesday that is still sticking around so I can't complain too much. I would still rather be soaking up sun on a beach somewhere that doesn't know what 3 degrees with a wind chill of -5 to -10 degrees feels like. 

On the bright (and slightly warmer) side, I got some new handmade scarves! Specifically, these two beauties from Korie Su of ReTied Headwear during the #handmadescarfswap hosted by SewCaroline and SewBon. I don't knit/crochet and I am such newb that I don't even know if these are knitted or crocheted. Regardless, I am more than thrilled to add some handmade knit or crochet items to my out-of-control scarf collection that is (sadly) mostly store-bought. The red is a beautiful, vibrant color and nice and thick (read: WARM). And I think the oatmeal colored rope scarf is super fun, though I may have to save that one for some warmer temperatures.

A photo posted by Sarah Jean (@ohheyitssj) on Feb 19, 2015 at 5:35am PST

I received two beautiful scarves, and I made two scarves to send to my partner, Crystal, as well! The first I made out of 2 yards of a lightweight sheermist cotton/poly blend. I knew I wanted the scarf navy and I've been on a neon accent kick lately, so I decided to embroider a plaid design onto the fabric using my sewing machine and some neon green and neon pink thread.

The original plan was to play around with different decorative stitches and widths for a more authentic plaid look, but the fabric was so lightweight I was getting all kinds of tension issues with the wider stitches. I ended up using just a simple straight stitch and I actually love the simplicity of the design. Plus, it took a lot less time! Here is a graphic showing the design and dimensions I used. 

I finished the two longer edges using a narrow double fold hem and frayed the shorter edges. To fray the shorter ends, I "stay-stitched" about and inch from the end of the scarf (just a straight stitch to keep the entire scarf from unraveling) and used a pin to help pull out the threads running parallel to the stitching. Here is a close up of the ends...

The second scarf I sent was ridiculously easy to make. I found this scarf fabric at Joann's (can't find it online though) that was nice and drape-y, and I loved the metallic stripe detail. I think the fabric was around 44" wide and I just kept it that width since the selvedges were nice and that meant I wouldn't have to finish them. I frayed the short edges like the plaid scarf. It was that simple!

Even though the fabric is fairly light weight, the extra width gives it some thickness and warmth. Here is a picture that shows the drapey-ness and stripe detail a little better.

I might have liked this one so much that I bought another 2 yards to make myself one. Whoopsies!

Thanks to Sew Caroline and Sewbon for organizing this swap! Did any of ya'll participate? What did you make/get?