Lately I´m always searching for small projects, and I´ve been on an eternal search for woven equivalents of t-shirts: Something that makes up quickly and is easy to throw on and forget about. And I didn´t learn my lesson from making the Donny Shirt.
Line drawing of a sleeveless, boxy top showing front and back.
(Image from stofdepotet.dk)
Enter Leni — boxy, cute, and simple-ish. Naturally, I changed it up.
Tessuti patterns are interesting. The actual patterns look hand-drawn, and I have some gripes about how the text is placed on the pattern paper: I´d like to see size designations in many more places (hems, where lines combine, etc.) than is usual, and I hate it when pattern piece names are printed upside down (opposite to the orientation of the piece).
Though Leni is boxy, the shoulders are drafted with a slight curve, nicely conforming to actual human shapes — you´d never find that on similarly boxy top patterns from the Big Four.
But there´s a very annoying problem with Leni: The back of the XS is drafted one quarter inch (.7 cm) longer than the front. This is a pain, especially since it´s not obvious until actually putting the fabric pieces together. Correcting a one-quarter inch length error after cutting is a problem that shouldn´t exist.
But, otherwise, directions seem to be very professionally done, with lots and lots of photos, so I´m guessing that they´re very helpful to beginners and experienced sewists alike. That said, though, I ignored them and re-worked the Leni for my own ends.
Photo of a white cotton sleeveless top with a deep v-neckline.
Firstly, I cut the front on a fold, somewhat regretfully, since the front seam does make for a significantly different appearance, from a design perspective. But I couldn´t otherwise see the point of the additional seam, and was impatient to get this project moving along! (However, do note that the center seams on the front and facing do allow much easier construction of the V neckline. In that sense, I actually made things harder for myself.)
Secondly, I removed the back yoke, and made a back facing instead. I´m just not a fan of back yokes, though I´ve no idea why. Too fussy? Dislike the extra layer of fabric? Who knows? Anyway, I removed it, and haven´t looked back. (So to speak!)
Photo of the back view of a white sleeveless cotton top.
And I made armhole facings, since I´m not a fan of bias finish except on sleeveless knits.
Thirdly, the Leni´s boxy nature is a plus in hot weather, but the flair was just too much for me, so took the side seams in. After reading a lot of reviews, I sized down as well.
Fourthly, I altered the back neckline, which stuck up on me. That may be my body, or it may be Tessuti drafting; I´m not sure.
Fifthly, I did not topstitch the front yoke to define the shape on the exterior. I just didn´t like the look!
Sixthly, I made the hem facing considerably less deep, stitching it 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) above the hem, and halved the facing hem to one quarter inch (.7 cm).
Seventh, I completely ignored the construction directions. ´Vilene´ isn´t something I can find easily, nor is it anything I´ve used in a [long] lifetime of sewing, so I just interfaced the relevant areas with what I had on hand.
And, at this point, my sewing habits are well-established and work for me — although I should note that I always read-through what I ignore! Seam allowances can, and do, vary, for instance, and it´s a good idea to know details like those in advance of assembly.
This was a wearable muslin (yep, totally happy with the term!), made from a cotton/poly sheet stashed for just this purpose. In the end, I´m not crazy about wearing it, and the cotton/poly is definitely a poor fabric choice; it´s a bit stiff, and so not very comfortable to wear. Though the Leni calls for fabric with some character, this inexpensive cotton/poly is just not the right material.
I´m not sure I´ll make another Leni. It needs a softer fabric, but not a truly soft one, and
I´m not sure I´m up for another experiment. We´ll see.
It´s possible I´ll never be able to escape my classic knit tops, worn now for years in summer, and boring me to death. But so easy to wear!
Take a look at The Sewing Workshop T-shirt patterns. They have a few – some more complicated than others but all very wearable. Many of their patterns are now PDF. They also have been doing weekly videos for five years so there is an archive to look at for you to see which one or more that you may like to make.
For myself, I copied a Japanese top pattern which is super plain and has cut-on sleeves. It’s very spacious and good for summer and winter wear. I love it in the summer because it lets the breezes flow and is very comfortable.
Good luck in your quest.
Hi, Barbara — nice to see you again! I just took a look at The Sewing Workshop, and their expanded top patterns have renewed my enthusiasm for this T-shirt search. Thanks so much for the suggestions (and the mention of cut-on sleeves, which I´d probably like a lot). There are some real possibilities there!