I set two sewing goals for myself this year. The first was to sew patterns from a wider range of pattern companies, as I had very much fallen in a pattern of making the same thing over and over again. The second was to try and build my wardrobe with more items I would actually wear, which meant, in May, that I focused on tops rather than party dresses. I succeeded with one of these goals (the second, because the I will make this pattern over and over again) with my latest make : the Mandy Boat Tee by Tessuti Patterns.
The Mandy Boat Tee is an oversized, boxy top with dropped shoulders and a boat neckline. Designed for knit fabrics, I like to make it with jerseys with a bit of drape, such as a viscose or tencel jersey. For this one, I used 1 metre of our Tencel Jersey in Cherry by meetMilk. This fabric is quite wide so you can squeeze quite a lot out of it, though I did have to cut my sleeves on the cross grain.
I cut a straight six 12 with no adjustments other than shortening the hem by about 5cm and lengthening the sleeves by about 3cm – I’ve found in the past when I make this top that the sleeves finish at bracelet length, and I wanted this one to be longer for winter.
I sewed all the seams for this on my overlocker, as the overlocking stitches are stronger than zig zag. Unlike cotton jersey, I found that this jersey barely curled, so I didn’t have to go overboard with pinning. The neckline and sleeves are simply turned over and stitched and a zig zag did fine for this. It was nice finishing a jersey garment without having to stitch a neckband- I’ve always struggled with these.
As we head into winter, I’m living in my Mandy Boat Tees, jeans and cardis. I think I’m up to four now and planning a fifth – I have my eye on the Pond colourway. If you’re after a quick afternoon sew, the Mandy Boat tee is perfect.
Find our full range of tencel jerseys here.
If you have any questions about our jerseys, or are planning on making the Mandy Boat Tee, feel free to get in touch with me at hello@jessicajoyfulstudio.com.au, I’m happy to help.
Love,
Jessica Joyful