Slouchy Tees

I made a few slouchy tee shirts using Very Easy Vogue 8984.  And I will venture to say that it probably has one of the least enticing cover illustrations ever.  Honestly, I am not even sure why I own this pattern.  I think I bought it a while back for some sort of franken-pattern project.  Sometimes I buy a pattern just for the sleeves or neckline or something.  Anyway, I think we can all agree that the cover is pretty bad.

I made up the grey polka dot version first.  Actually, I made it back in May and wasn't in love with it at first.  But I ended up wearing it so often that it grew on me.  I used a soft bamboo knit with printed dots that I love.  It's nice stuff.   I made the greige version next, lengthening the pattern almost six inches and adding side splits.  It's also a bamboo knit.  The striped version was made by recycling a skirt I made recently and never wore.  I made that knit skirt in the spring and thought I'd wear it a lot when it got warm.  But the length was weird and I never got over the mismatched stripes.  So I cut the front and sleeves of this tee from it.  I didn't have enough to cut the back without a seam and no stripe matching.  So I made the back in a solid black.  Again, all bamboo knits.  Sensing a theme?  I bought a bunch a while back and I don't know if I can ever go back to buying cheap knits.  I bought all of these lengths from fabric.com and they are great.  Stretchy and beefy with nice drape.  My only complaint is that they are a little heavy.  I can see how a light weight rayon knit might be more appropriate in some circumstances.  I'll be curious to see how all my tees wear over time, though.

Pattern Description: Vogue 8984.  Semi fitted pullover top has dropped shoulders and narrow hem.  There is a longer sleeve option and a cropped hem option.  

Pattern Sizing:  I cut a 12.  I went down a size from my usual 14.

Fabric Used:  All bamboo knits from fabric.com.

Alterations/Deviations: The grey version I made first is view B, the shorter sleeve and longer length plus one inch.  This tee is short.  I would call it cropped but I do have a longer torso.  The greige version is view B plus 6 inches added to length with side splits.  The black and white striped version is view B length as is.  I would have made it longer but the pattern pieces just fit on the piece of fabric I recycled.  I did the necklines on all three shirts differently.  The first grey version was done as the pattern instructed- folding under and stitching.  I really dislike that finish but I did it anyway.  I sandwiched some steam-a-seam in before I stitched.  That is the first time I've used it on a neckline.  I also used steam-a-seam on the hem of the grey version.  I do not like the way the steam-a-seam made the hems and neckline kind of... crunchy, I guess.  I didn't use any sort of stabilizer on the other versions and my hems are just fine.  I guess these bamboo knits are beefy enough that they don't really need it.  I did a neck band on the greige version, which turned out decent.  It's a little wavy.  And on the black and white version, I made a binding that I flipped to the inside and stitched like a bias facing.  I think that finish worked the best.

Likes/Dislikes:  I love a good, slouchy tee and this pattern fit the bill.  But yes, it is a strange pattern.  I like the depth and width of the neckline, too.  And the dropped shoulder is kind of trendy right now. But a flattering tee, this is not.  All three will get lots of wear.

I actually made one more version in solid black and cropped it super short to wear with skirts that sit at my natural waist.  A little longer at the back.  And I really dislike it for some reason.  Especially after taking some photos of it with different things.  I'm only including a photo for informational purposes.  Something about the proportions are way off and I really don't like the way it looks.  I'm going to hang on to it for now.  Maybe I'll try shortening the sleeves to see if that helps.  And I'll blog about those culottes (with the mismatched stripe) one day!  I love them and wear them all the time.

Conclusion:  Phew!  I sure did just write a lot about this simple, little pattern.  I intended this to be a fast and furious blog post.  It was an easy, quick sew.  Almost all straight seams.  I recommend the pattern if this is a style you are looking for.  Look past that terrible cover art!