Jersey scares a lot of people – and it scared me for a really long time too! I'd only made one thing out of jersey before this make (it was Colette's Moneta Dress in case you were wondering), and after that, I decided to retreat back to the safety of wovens. Amazing jersey patterns just kept popping up, though – and finally, after hearing so much hype about it, I gave in and bought the Megan Nielsen Rowan tee and bodysuit pattern.
After I'd bought the pattern, it was time for the best bit – choosing the fabric to go with it! The bodysuit needs something with at least 40% stretch, because it goes off of negative ease. After much deliberation, I decided to use the Cotton and Steel Dress Shop It's a Plus in 'Eggplant'… and it's safe to say that I love it!
The fabric made an incredibly satisfying noise when it was cut (you know the one, it makes you feel like you've had a little taste of heaven) and was really easy to pin as well; a great first stretch fabric, I'd say! I made version two of the pattern, a lovely v-neck t-shirt. It sewed up incredibly quickly, and I'm not any kind of sewing speed demon, even with cotton! I tacked the whole thing together on a long straight stitch first, so that I could try it on and make sure that everything fit right before I committed to sewing it with my overlocker.
The sleeves are inserted before the side seams are sewed up, which is a technique I really enjoyed as it was all lovely and quick – and no easing – can I get a hell yeah? I did stabilise the shoulders using a woven ribbon so that they wouldn't stretch out, which is an extra step I'd really recommend taking as a precaution.
The only part that I struggled with was getting the point of the v-neck neckband to look right. The seam allowance around the neckband is only ¼ of an inch, so making sure that I caught enough of the bodice at that point without the stitching line being dangerously close to the raw edge was pretty fiddly! In the end, I did that part by hand, and sewed the rest of the neckband with a straight stitch (you don't want this bit to stretch so much) on my machine.
All in all, I'm really thrilled with this make, and I'm planning on making loads more Rowans - in all the colourways of this jersey!
This post was provided by Harriet, you can follow her on instagram @hobblinghandmades and check out her sewing blog too! Harriet is part of the Sew Me Sunshine bloggers network. All bloggers are provided with fabric to make an item of clothing of their choice.
I love this tee so much – can’t believe this is only the second thing you’ve made!