Monday, February 14, 2011

The T shirt Quest.

I have decided that I need to perfect a T shirt pattern so I can make consistently good T shirts . I have realized that the fit of a T shirt is VERY heavily influenced by the drape and elasticity of the fabric used . I have start with a viscose knit which has allot of stretch but not as much as slinky knit.
I used an old T shirt which fits me well and decided to copy it by laying it on a sheet of pattern paper placed over a blanket . I then used a  needle to punch the outline of the pattern pieces onto the paper . Next I transferred all the measurements from the Tshirt to my pattern and then copied that pattern and added seam allowances etc. I made up a toile in a similar viscose rubbishy knit and the found that the shoulders were too wide , the sleeves were too wide and that the body was a little too wide .  I also decided that I wanted to raise the back neck by about 7 cm as I find that having a high back neck is MUCH more flattering my body which has more than average sloping shoulders ..
 I made these alterations and then transferred these changes to the paper pattern. It seems to me that I will have several different T shirt patterns made up to suit the different types of knits which I will want to use .Knits like wool jersey which are very stable may well need darts whereas the viscose knits don't .


I have made this pattern up in a Viscose which I bought from Tessuti some years ago . I am not sure I like the pattern on the fabric anymore but oh well . I also havent finished the hems. I have to use Dolly for my shots as invariably there is no one around to take photos of me and my slopey shoulders.

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