I decided to make this Butterick 5948 sewing pattern to continue topping up on day to day section of my wardrobe. I thought the loose fit design would be comfy and cool for summer if I made it in one of our lovely cotton prints and I chose this pretty grey cotton fabric with the multi coloured teardrops. I thought this fabric would work well with blue denim or my guilty pleasure and summer wardrobe favourite, my white jeans. Somehow it still feels a bit wrong to be such a massive fan of white jeans, like I'm an Elizabeth Hurley wannabe or stuck in the yuppy 80s or something, but I just can't help it I LOVE them. Especially when one of the kids wipes a mucky hand across my thigh or drops an ice cream down them, such a sophisticated look.
Although the artwork on the packet of this pattern is decidedly 80s too I thought the basic silhouette of all versions bar version D were modern, simple and flattering and I decided to opt for version F. I fancied making the pocket for an interesting bit of detail and I also thought I'd try out the longer hemline of this top. I was a bit late to the party with the whole loose fitting tops thing, but I really enjoy wearing them now and this top is no exception. I cut a size 12, even though I was between a 12 and a 14 based on my bust measurement, because it is such a loose fitting design. The longer hemline also means I'm not constantly flashing my knickers or builder's bum when bending over to tend to children, which is also an added bonus.
The pattern was pretty easy to follow, although the instructions flit between the different versions of the top, which meant at certain points I had to use my common sense (God help me!) to work out what to do next. Having said that, as someone who had only sewn seven handmade garments at this point, I managed to work it out pretty easily.
The top went together really well and I'm particularly pleased with the neckline, which was cut on the bias and sits nice and flat against my chest. It threw me a bit when I attached the neck facing to the top because once I turned the facing to the inside of the garment the bottom layer of fabric protruded the pressed edge of the facing and I thought I had done something wrong. However, I trimmed the bottom layer of fabric down so it was hidden by the facing, pressed and top stitched it in place and it resulted in a neat finish.
The pattern suggested attaching the sleeves by sewing one continuous line of stitching under the arm and down the side seam, which I believe is the way T shirt sleeves are often sewn. However, I set the sleeves in and this would result in a much better finish. When someone who has been sewing for over 60 years tells you something you'd have to be pretty daft not to do it so I set the sleeves in using the bubble method.
Many patterns suggest using ease stitching to set a sleeve in i.e. stitching three rows of longer stitches parallel to the raw edge and then gently pulling them to gather the material and ease the fullness in when pinning and stitching it in place. However, I have always been taught to skip the ease stitching and instead bubble the fabric with the fullness when pinning it in place as shown in the diagram below. Always make sure you match your notches and seams appropriately and use plenty of pins to create small bubbles and distribute the fullness as evenly as possible and where appropriate. For many designs you will find there is far more fullness at the top of the sleeve than the bottom for example.
I tried both methods to test which was easier from a beginner's point of view. I have to say I find the bubble method far easier than the ease stitching - see I told you it's daft not to listen to someone who has been sewing for over 60 years.
Apologies if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs here, but having recently attended the Simplicity blogger event in Manchester where May Martin shared her top sewing tips with us I realised that not everybody might be familiar with this method. May talked us through the bubble method in reference to setting in sleeves for tailored jackets and we would go one step further and recommend it for setting in sleeves on any garment as the preferred and easier method.
Ultimately it is up to you and whatever you find works best for you, but if you're someone who tends to ease stitch sleeves why not have a go at the bubble method for a change and see how you get on? Whichever method you use remember to always sew from the side with the fullness. Using a bamboo knitting needle or something similar to help you feed the fabric through the machine is also a helpful tip. As you sew use the knitting needle to hold the raw edges of the fabric on the right hand side in the correct position and ease the fabric under the machine foot.
All in all this was another quick and satisfying sew and I know I will get plenty of wear out of this top. I'm really pleased with the fabric choice and think it hangs nicely plus the pops of colour are really pretty against the grey background. The fabric was nice and easy to work with and feels like a good quality cotton. If I get chance I'd like to make the sleeveless versions and the boxy, shorter T shirt and think these would all look great in any of our patterned cotton fabrics, which can be found in our patterned woven fabrics section of the website. I think the navy polka dots would work particularly well for a chic, sleeveless version.
The pictures were taken on a weekend trip to York for our anniversary (awww!) and it was the perfect top for sauntering round the shops (and bars) in the summer sun.
Shopping List
Grey Multi Teardrop Print Cotton Poplin Fabric
Have fun sewing!
Lucy
For more tips and tricks on how to make sewing easy you can follow our blog via Bloglovin and receive updates via email each time a new post is added.
Follow us on Facebook Twitter and Instagram for news, tutorials, special offers, sales and more.