Floral party in the back Concord

This is my latest version of the Cashmerette Concord tee. I've lost count, but I've made this pattern at least a dozen times. Not bad, considering I was firmly in camp 'why sew a t-shirt if you can just as well buy one' for decades.

One of the many things I like about sewing is the planning stage. The hunt for the right fabric, deciding on a colour, finding notions and adding little details. Step by step the project that only existed in your head comes alive, resulting in a one of kind garment. For years I believed this approach was only worthwhile for special projects. Coats, evening wear, jackets. But once I started making t-shirts I was amazed by the number of design choices you could make for such a simple top.
All Concord tees I've made have different necklines, lengths, and sleeves. I know find that picking fabric for something I know I will wear till it's worn out is even more fun than selecting fabric for a seldom worn special occasion dress. Long story short: once I started making my tees I've never looked back.

The fabric for my umpteenth Concord tee is a rayon jersey from TST stoffen, a Dutch online fabric shop. It has a lovely drape so I wanted to make a flared swing top, just like the blue one I made last year. I kept the sleeves at elbow length because it turned out that's what gets the most wear during our rather unpredictable summers.

Because the blue top is still going strong I didn't want to make an exact copy and I used every last bit of the leftovers to create ties for the back. When mr Foxgloves first  saw my tee he said: 'Oh, nice.' And when I turned around he said: 'Oh! That's really, really nice!' So I guess the ties do indeed add a little interest.

There's nothing more to tell that I haven't discussed previously when it comes to this curve friendly pattern that comes in cup sizes and has become a true wardrobe staple for me.

So I'll end with a few more pictures of the shirt taken out in the wild during a trip to Germany last week, starting with the obligatory Schnitzel und Bier moment.

That's the first of summer holiday sewing done.
Till next time!

Concord tee with statement sleeves

Hi everyone! Can you believe I completely forgot to write a post about my most worn garment of late summer / early autumn? Like always, it started with the fabric.

I found this wonderful eyelet jersey during an early summer sale at the fabric market. At first I wanted to make a sleeveless top but quickly decided this fabric was too good to use for a garment I could only wear incidentally during our chilly summer.

I went through my sewing magazines and although I liked the look of all patterns with statement sleeves most of them had rather high necklines. That's when I brought out my favourite v-neck version of the Cashmerette Patterns Concord t-shirt. I measured the circumference of the sleeve hem and drafted a full circle extension.
Well, maybe it had to do with the white eyelet but everytime I looked down I felt I was wearing my grandmother's lampshades.
When I redrafted the flounce to a half circle the proportions were much better.

I opted for a catch stitched hem for the bodice and narrow hand-rolled hems for the sleeves.

Apparently a white top was just what was missing in my closet as I've been wearing it as often as I could!

During our holiday in Belgium.....(best hotel carpet ever!)

While at work, interviewing the owner of a shoe shop for the local newspaper......

Partying with Joliet Jake Blues....

Getting ready for a walk in the beautiful city of Leuven....

And after said walk. Happy smile caused by the contents of that bag next to me.
Y'all guessed right. Fabrics!

Happy weekend!

Concord tee goes Barcelona, part 1

¡Hola, I made another Cashmerette Concord tee! It's my fifth version of the pattern so I can't blame you if you're getting bored, but hey, there's sangria, music and pretty pictures of Barcelona too!

I used a viscose knit fabric, changed the sleeves to full length and hand stitched all hems. I don't like the look of twin needle or coverstitch finishes and although it takes a little longer I like the invisible hems on this shirt. I redid the neckband, as I initially thought it would be nice to have the white stripe on top. It just didn't look right, the rhythm of the stripes looked a bit off. Next time I'll check the look before stitching, ughh!

Using 4-way stretch fabric definitely influenced the fit at the shoulders. Or maybe it was the bag full of tourist essentials I was dragging along, but the left shoulder looks slightly dropped in the top picture.

Window shopping at the Passeig de Gracia. I guess you are all zooming in now to see that jacket behind me. I know I would!

Isn't it gorgeous? Sleeve perfection. Sigh.
But I digress, as we were heading towards the famous Casa Batllo.

Later that day, in the stunning surroundings of Museu Picasso, my stripes felt like an appropriate neutral amidst all vibrant colours. It was such an impressive visit!

Clingy fabric and horizontal stripes are not my best look, so I always envisioned this shirt as a layering piece. (I'm wearing it right now, with a black jacket and bright red shoes and accessories)
Luckily the temperatures in Barcelona were much higher than we expected so jackets and cardigans didn't get much wear. Oh well, who cares about clingy tees. Not me after some sangria!

White sangria with lemon and oranges, divine!

And of course 4-way stretch means plenty of room for tapas.

If you're ever in Barcelona and have the chance to go to a concert in Palau de la Musica Catalana, don't hesitate! It's a beautifully decorated concert hall, designed in Catalan modernism style and built between 1905 and 1908. 

The most beautiful venue for a concert of the Maestros de la Guitarra:

To be continued....

A floral v-neck Concord tee

It's the time of year when my lunch break sewing is often replaced by lunch break mowing. So here I am in my summer habitat. In the ongoing battle between garden and sewing room the score must be something like Foxgloves:20 vs Thimbles:1. It's a lucky coincidence that the garments I wear while gardening are not very time consuming to make! Enter my third Cashmerette Concord t-shirt.

Ha! Does that happen to you too? I swear I changed my unsightly garden shoes for matchy matchy ones in an attempt to look presentable!

See?

The fabric is a very soft cotton jersey with a leopard meets roses print on a light grey background. I made view B with the v-neck and elbow length sleeves. I like it when my v-necks form a defined v and I noticed that the sample v-neck Concords had a tendency to show a more rounded shape. I could think of a variety of causes and decided to tackle them one by one.

-Shoulder seams: the seams are so narrow compared to the total back width, they need all the help they can get to stay in shape. I stabilized them even more than I did for the scoop neck tees.
- Back neckline: to prevent gaping at the back I took out a some of the width.
- Neckband: I changed the original overlapping neckband for a mitered v. When there's strain on the overlap (and there certainly is strain on the point of the v with larger cup sizes) the overlap can easily spread out of shape.

Quite happy with the front! Maybe I'll scoop out the back neckline a bit more next time. There's not much more to tell that I haven't told yet in the posts about Concord #1 and Concord #2 so I'll make room for my favourite furry photobomber who claims her minute of blog fame.

Well, didn't we all want the be the star on our 4th birthday? Go on, shine!

I hope I can find time to sew a few summer dresses soon. I'm working on a wrap dress, have plans for a maxi dress and there's a pretty butterfly print waiting to become a sundress. The weird thing is those sundresses will only get sewn during rainy weekends.... Be careful what you wish for?

I hope you'll all have a wonderful weekend with plenty of time for your favourite pastimes!

A sporty Concord tee

Just a quick post to show another Cashmerette Concord T-shirt. I needed a new shirt for the gym and since my wearable Concord muslin gets a lot of wear I thought I'd give the longer version a try.  

Concord tech drawing

Scooped neckline, mid length sleeves with tabs, curved hemline. In addition to the shoulder adjustment I made for the muslin I took out an extra 3/8" halfway between center back and shoulder on each side of the back neckline to fix a bit of gaping. The neckband was cut on the cross grain.

The fabric is a cotton jersey, bought last autumn with a Plantain in mind. 

The sleeves were a bit short on me, next time I'll lengthen them so that I can make decent hems that don't roll every time I bend my arms. I just forgot to add the usual inch for my long arms.

Eventually I didn't use the tabs. There's enough going on with this print, and I liked the look of the sleeves as they are.

The curved hem is finished with facings. The pattern instructions tell you to finish the hem and topstitch the facings before closing the side seams, I prefer to do it the other way around. Close the side seams, stitch the facings together at the side seams and attach them in the round, then make a continuous row of topstitching.

There's something about this shirt  that doesn't feel completely right and I can't quite put my finger on it.

Should I take it in at waist and hips?

Or perhaps shorten it?

Or just leave it as it is and wear it for my weekly workout?

I'd really like to hear your opinions!