Vogue 8151 – Darted Tee

I’ve never been a big fan of Sandra Betzina’s patterns; they seem a little, just slightly, on the matronly side.  Really nice patterns, if you were inclined that way, but, I don’t know, blocky maybe?  Maybe kind of matronly?  And I’ve always thought this had something to do with the “Today’s Fit” sizing, which I read as being for bigger, more “mature” women.

Well, whether or not the rest of me is following, my bust seems to have joined the “bigger, more mature” category.  I’m having fit issues, so, Sandra, here I come!  I still can’t get my head around the style issues, but I’m looking for a tee I can live with, so I started with this Betzina tee:

The one one the right.  Yep, a tee shirt with a dart.  It’s come to this .  .  .

This poor thing’s been through a hard day, and my pose is wonky, so please forgive both of us for looking so, well, ratty.  This pattern comes in Betzina’s A, B, C sizing.  I cut a size C, except in the shoulders, where I cut an A.  (Betzina’s Today’s Sizing has a bust size similar to Vogue, but a much larger waist, and a larger hip.  Only the bust size was relevant for my top, of course.)

We’re not going to discuss the fact that my bust is asymmetrical, and that I’m not going to wear the kind of armor that would correct this normal, human issue.  Suffice to say, the darts are symmetrical, even if I’m not.  It does look as if there’s a little bit of pulling across the chest, though, so I need to address that.  My bust is one inch larger than the C size, so, in this case, I guess I should have trusted Vogue sizing.

I dropped the bust dart by 1.5 inches, to accommodate my real bust, and shortened the dart by .5 inch, so it didn’t run across the front of my chest.  I also lengthened the top by one inch, and took .25 inch out of each side of the back neck to conform to my shape there.  (I remembered to alter the neckband to accommodate that change; that’s a critical step.)

The dart placement is just right, though there’s a little pulling at the lower front of the armhole.  Is that fit, or the result of my bizarre, chicken-wings pose???  I haven’t gotten this “modeling garments” thing down yet.

The back is fine, but someday I really am going to have to address the swayback issues.

Other reviewers have noted that these sleeves are tight; they are, but I like this fit.  I think most people wouldn’t, and if I were actually as big everywhere as Betzina’s size C, these sleeves wouldn’t work on me.

So, does it make sense to wear a tee shirt with darts to accommodate a larger bust?  I kind of think maybe it does.  If  I buy RTW tee shirts that fit my bust, I’m swimming in the rest of the shirt, because the rest of me just isn’t that big.  I’d rather feel relaxed in a tee shirt than slobby, so maybe this is a better choice.  Interestingly, I really liked wearing this shirt — it felt like clothes, not like a sack I’d pulled on, but was still just as easy-to-wear as any old tee.

Incidentally, I cut this shirt from a heavyweight Fruit of the Loom men’s tee.  Ever noticed what great colors men’s tees come in these days?  Much nicer than the pastel, icky women’s shades.  And the fabric, while nothing to write home about, is about 1000% nicer than cotton knits at JoAnn’s.  Lots cheaper, also, even if you need two.