Everybody else was doing it...

In typical fashion, I'm one of the last ones on the bandwagon. Usually it's either that, or I miss it altogether. But, since I'd already mentioned that I needed a mental break from pants, I made a Deer & Doe Plantain tee!

This was super-quick to make up, even with me modifying the pattern. I used Heather's tutorial for making a contrast yoke, because the busyness of the print made me think that it could use some more solid to tie in the neck binding and elbow patches better. I'd already printed out and taped the PDF together, but I like re-tracing PDF patterns onto thinner paper to make laying out and cutting easier. I was able to get this traced, cut out, and sewn together in the span of one afternoon! It definitely helped that I did the bulk of the construction on my serger, so I didn't have to worry about seam finishes. But it was still nice to knock a project out so quickly.

I'm pleasantly surprised by this pattern, to be honest. The website describes the fit as "loose but elegant", and I don't usually care for a looser fit in my tops. But I figured I'd give it a shot, because the pattern was free, and I figured that as a worst-case scenario, I could just wear this as a bum around the house shirt. But this doesn't hang off me like a sack, like I half-expected it to--it's actually a lot more flattering than I thought it would be. If the knit wasn't as drapey as it is, I don't think it would have worked as well, so I'll have to keep that in mind for any future versions.
A shot of the back, modeled with the charcoal version of the latest Thurlows. It makes me look really curvy!

Aside from the modifications to make the yoke, including a little extra topstitching to make the pieces lie flatter, I made this a straight-up size 40. The only other sizing modification that I made was to add an inch to the sleeves, in what I call my "monkey arm adjustment". It worked perfectly, and I was able to go ahead and use the 3/4" hem allowance that the pattern called for and still cover my wrists in their entirety. I was also surprised that the elbow patches ended up actually hitting at my elbows without any adjustments.








One more shot on Donna, for a closeup of the fabrics!  I love this stylized floral knit--it feels somewhat Asian to me. I've been hoarding both of these for awhile, and had been thinking for a long time about using them together, since the teals are so close in color. My long-term thought had been to make some kind of knit dress out of it, but I've been putting it off for a long time because the print is on the thinner side, and I figured I'd have to try and line it somehow to keep my underwear from showing through. While working through all of the Wardrobe Architect stuff so far, though, I realized that I'd probably get a lot more use out of this as a top. I'm pretty good on summery dresses (even though I do have definite plans to make more), and this fabric is too thin to make a good colder-weather dress. So I guess this process is helping me make smart sewing decisions!






I still have enough of the solid teal left to make a short-sleeved or sleeveless top, since I really only used a tiny segment to cut all three pieces. As for the print, I had less than 3/4 yard left of the full width. So I basically cut the ragged ends off, sewed it into a tube, sewed the ends together--instant infinity scarf! Which will be great for adding interest to more solid outfits, and nice to wear. This knit is super-soft. And since all I have left is scraps that are maybe just large enough to make undies out of (I really need to learn to do that), I shall consider this piece of stash officially busted.

Pattern: Deer & Doe Plantain tee - third pattern used this year.

Amount of time it took to make: A couple of hours from start to finish, plus about 30 minutes for the scarf

Fabric used: Two pieces of rayon knit (one used up, for a total of 5 pieces so far this year.)

Amount of fabric used: 2.25 yards of the print, plus a tiny bit more of the solid

Stashed since: Print was from Christmas 2010, not entirely sure about the solid except that it's been there longer than that.

Current stash total: Approx. 333.25 yards.