Flora vacations on the Riviera
There was pattern fitting and sewing over the weekend, believe it or not. I can hardly believe it myself, and I was the one doing the sewing!
This shirt is a first stab at the recently released Hot Patterns Riviera Regatta tunic. I traced the pattern off one evening, and cut and sewed the top the next day. It goes together quite well, even with the various color block pieces and changes in direction. The pattern envelope shows it as a stripe, so of course, I had to try it that way. I think if it were made all of the same color, it would lose pizzazz, as the multi-directional stripes, coupled with the solid colors provide interest.
And yes, the body of the shirt is cut on the bias. I had originally thought doing so would chew up a lot of fabric, but it doesn’t, as it’s only the front and back that are bias. The bias body actually has it feeling quite comfy. I like.
Now, a word of warning – the pattern description says “relaxed fit” and they aren’t kidding. I cut my usual 10 front / 12 back, and had to take the side seams in 1/2 inch on each side (2 inches total). I will need to scale the pattern down a size next time.
With all those pieces meeting up, I decided to do straight stitching, instead of using the serger. That very nearly proved my undoing. Enterprise, my stalwart trusty sewing machine decided she absolutely, positively DID NOT want to sew this. There were skipped stitches all over the place. To the point where I was redoing seams 3 and 4 times. Talk about frustration!
But, I persevered, and am pleased that I did. I applied the neckline using Pam Erny’s method of stitching the binding in the round, then quartering and sewing to the shirt. This makes it so there’s no exposed neckline seam. Check her blog under tutorials for how to do this. It’s pretty slick!
Overall, I am declaring this a success! I wore the shirt all day yesterday, and while it is looser than a standard T-shirt, and longer too, it was very comfortable. Making it up in solid colors would be a great stash buster! Lengthen it for a super comfy sleep shirt!
Love it, surprising about the sizing. You think the fabric jr the bias compounds the issue?
No. I would have expected the bias to make it hang closer on the body, like bias does with wovens. It’s just a roomy pattern draft.