Freya 2023 v4. still not a T&T tee

The last of this summer's tees. 

I retraced the v3a pattern ready to file for next time - well the sections were held together with pins and masking tape. Being a good software engineer, I had to make one more tee to test the tracing in case the bits had shifted, and to test taking another 1/8" excess fabric from front underarm scoop. Being a resource conscious human, I reclaimed fabric from a damaged pair of pj trousers (pink background, blue butterflies).  

Yes, I know it's an inch shorter than my preferred length. I used practically every undamaged square inch. And there's excess fabric at the underarm when hands are by my sides. I'd like to nibble it away if I can do it without affecting movement ease.

The piecing needed to reuse fabric tells me I 'need more practice' making horizontal seams in jersey - spot the stretch below front waist. Oh dear, another pathway for interesting experiments. First time using purchased stretch binding, always something more to learn, in this case to put the binding against the feed dogs. 

The overnight test wear tells me it looks better at front yoke than v3, and is really comfy.  No underarm friction sleeping or sitting, and flexible enough to reach the back of the kitchen worktop. Even this test garment, from last-legs fabric, was worth finishing. Hooray! 

EDIT: before I put the pattern pieces away, I compared them with the original TATB design. If I were to nibble away at the cap height as well as the overbust, it brings us closer to the original design, pulling the lower armscye and sleeve cap into the pit more. Maybe do this 1/8" at a time when I make winter/spring tees, so long as it doesn't affect movement ease. I don't dare shave anything off at abdomen height, otherwise the back won't drop again after I lift my arms.

Another EDIT: live dangerously, little mouselet. Since this poor fabric is already bruised and battered after years of use, let's experiment now. Can't spoil um. What I ended up with was taking in the front overbust in by 1/4", scooping a bit more at front armpit, and lowering the sleeve cap. Back overbust is unchanged. Interestingly, the upper arm is now a little tight, not restricted though, since the whole sleeve has narrowed as it moved up. So the flat pattern change was to pivot (a tracing of) the cap and raise the base 1/4". This widened the whole cap 2x1/8" at the base, which I trimmed off. Allowing the front to move in 1/4" each side, fading to nothing between underbust and waist.

And now I still have an incompletely tested flat pattern. Guess I will have to look out some autumn/winter fabrics. 

Still a work in progress. 2023 Freya v3

2023 v3 is really comfortable but not particularly elegant. Despite this being my umpteenth version of this pattern*, I'm struggling to find a fairly fitted version which allows reasonable movement.  The final picture in the collage is shows how I stand when using our kitchen worktop. A standard desk, too, needs a persistent zombie pose when you are 5'2".

 

* The distant ancestor was Tilly and the Buttons Freya tee. At each variation it has become more relaxed and the neckline lower. My earliest surviving version is still working well for formal occasions. It was a little black dress and underdress made for DD's graduation in December 2019. However, as my fitting was far from perfect, its intended negative ease was restrictive when attempting a range of activities.

The front is better than the back. As many people find, tees look fine at the back in the changing room, but ride up on the bony ridge at high hip as soon as you start moving around. This one is a little tight at underarm and bust. And guess what, I'd trimmed seam allowances too much on one of the iterations, so can't fix it on this version. I added a godet to the centre back which helped somewhat. Given fabric restrictions, it is now shorter than my preferred length. It does show my problem of  increasing fast enough as you go from waist to high hip, without letting the draughts in a couple of inches below that dratted ridge.

Verdict: Much comfier after  a round of armscye and sleeve cap changes, but still needs more practice.

I haven't helped myself by using old measurements - even though my weight is a fraction less than six months ago. The original measurements envisaged ease added later, whilst this time I wanted quite fitted. Your silly mouselet forgot to add in the bulk of a trouser waistband, again. On top of that, my posture does vary, depending how my back is doing. 

So... Ready for the next version, I've taken a new set of measurements using my most recent trousers. I used the bottom of this waistband as a landmark. Today the out seam on the trousers is tilting forward (it didn't a month ago, I checked the photos). Confession - I pinned the tee side seams an inch back of the trouser side seams and used them as my fixed lines.  I've added underbust and overbust front and back to my measurement set, which informs how much extra for sticky out shoulder blades due to sway back. This weekend it'll be time to trace the flat pattern and try again. 

Eagle eyed readers may have noticed I bumped the tee up the queue. I'd planned to work on the woven top  OOP Burda 8957 - last version comfy but poufy at the back - but realised I hadn't prewashed the fabric. Glad I waited. The new measurements tell me I need to increase back waist relative to the front. 

EDIT, Friday morning. I'm not allowing myself to cut fabric until the housework is done, but have done the Freya tee flat pattern adjustments. The paper fitting is promising. 

EDIT 31st July. V3a was made in the same fabric, without the godet. In fact, when I'd added a small swayback, the centre back seam was so nearly straight, I got out the ruler. I also moved some wedges of fabric from centre front, where it was pooling, to the sides where it was needed. Not just a successful test wear, it's been first off the dry washing pile to pair with the sage or coral trousers. So good that I retraced the revised pattern and made just one more tee . V4 was made from reclaimed fabric, pink background with blue butterflies. I'm even happier and think it deserves a separate post :)

2023 June roundup

I started June with a tidy of my fabric. There's a cabin-sized suitcase with autumn /winter fabric, mostly inherited but some of my choices, waiting for me to improve fitting and construction skills. A carrier bag with summer weight fabrics, mostly my choices, with a few for H, ready to join the queue. And I'm down to one carrier bag of leftovers, old sheets and garments for resizing, repair or just pattern testing fabric. There's a bulky overflow length, fleece to trial a better cardi or light jacket. Three decent lengths of inherited summer weights, that didn't suit either of us, went to a charity shop. That's about the right size fabric stash for me and my flat - the 'right' collection size is about personal needs and preferences. 

I talked about my summer clothes sort as a time-poor Me Made May in an earlier post. There are fewer garments altogether, fewer so-so items, and fewer orphans than in previous years. I'm very happy about that. 

Sewing wise, it's been an excellent month. One good garment for me, the linen pants in the previous post. A simple top for H, who agreed to let me practice fitting skills on her, and was happy with the result. I forgot to take a hanger shot before giving it to her, but posted a shot of pattern and fabric a few days ago. 

Four improving toiles, wearable as pj's because they are so comfy, but too thin, too print-flawed or too pieced to wear around visitors. NS258 pleated trousers in mint sheeting were v5, and have become summer favourite pj bottoms already. The picture is here, http://little-mouselet.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-tale-of-many-toiles-muslin.html. NS258 cropped island pair v4 are also fine for sleeping, but they're not always warm enough first thing in the morning when I'm doing daily jobs. Annoyingly, I'd already cut the flawed-print leftover of leftovers to trial Burda Easy 8957 v3 bodice, so the remaining scraps aren't enough to reach my ankles. I have a fitting post in mind for B8957, coming soon - it has already passed its night time comfort test and its morning task ease test.

The final toile, a relaxed descendant of Freya tee by Tilly and the Buttons, was a can't spoil 'um project. The bodice was from parts of a woodland print women's tee, with sleeves cut from a thinning man's white tee. It's promising - I've worn regularly as pj's with the mint trousers. However, with so much piecing at the back yoke, it's not a fair test of the pattern. Nor something I want to show off. 

All three patterns are in my back-to-basics list. NS258 pleated pants is ready for good fabric, though I want to retest the waist and and add back the integral pockets. The simplified version of B8957 semi fitted woven top is close enough for good fabric, though I haven't tested the collar/lapels as printed yet, nor frankenpatterned a cuff. The Freya descendant, relaxed long sleeved tee, is worth testing on new fabric now. None of them quite qualify for T&T status (Tried and Tested, Tried and Trusted, Tried and True - depends where you live). We are getting close. 

Knitting, not so much. The Hermia summer cardi is progressing slowly. I have had to stripe in an odd ball of similar weight yarn. One sleeve is done, the second a few inches above the cuff, the bodice down to underbust height. Even when I've carted it out with me, it's hard to pick up something this size for just a few minutes. I need to sort out another portable project. 

   

Repairs:

Zip in H's flowery dress.

Add waistband tucks to last year's summer trousers (and for a linen pair that stretched over the day, removed tucks and then restored them) 

Strap on cloth bag reattached for DD. 

Button on DH's trousers reattached. 

Stitch harvest mouse shirt lapel, to prevent finished inner edge showing. 

Restitched and patched a favourite shopper. Who wouldn't want to keep a mouse/woodland creature bag? 

Made a key leash so that the damage doesn't repeat itself. 

Unblocked the auto-defrost drain on the fridge.

Chose not to do:

After testing out a few ideas. Crochet cuffs in cotton/linen/silk. A beautiful odd ball of yarn, however it wasn't spun tight enough for crochet. Maybe come back to the idea when in the mood for knitting.

Shorten sleeves on flowery pj top. Knuckle length is actually warmer for sleeping with elbows well bent, though a pain in the kitchen at breakfast time.

Wardrobe acquired:

Two scarves from charity shops. One man made but soft, pale colours. one brown and white fish print with buttonholes (what!) 

I think I can say a productive month 

Happy sewing everyone.