Pattern Review: StyleArc Ann Tee Top, Plus a Tutorial and Miscellany

About every two to three years, all my winter tops decide to commit mass suicide. Right on schedule, these past couple of weeks I’ve been finding holes in my tops, and some of them have just plain ol’ worn out from wear. Since my mojo is going strong right now I cut out this pattern and started on it last night after the Pats game, finishing it up today. Plus, Leah asked for some help with setting sleeves in flat, so I have a tutorial for that at the end of the review.

Pattern Description:

(From StyleArc’s website) This fashionable t-shirt hides a multitude of sins with side rouching, make it with long or short sleeves.

I made the long-sleeved version.

Sizing: 6-30. I made a size 10.

Fabric Used: Über-soft Rayon Jersey in Heathered Stormy Gray from Gorgeous Fabrics.

Needle/Notions Used: Stretch 70/10 needle. Pro-Weft Fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply to stabilize the shoulder seams. Thread.

Tips Used during Construction: Sewing With Knits, Press that Bad Mamma Jamma.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes.

How were the instructions? I didn’t need them and I didn’t use them. This is a very straightforward pattern to make. If you have any experience, you can put this together in a very short period of time. That said, the instructions are pretty fair. StyleArc assumes you have some basic sewing knowledge. Possibly the trickiest part of this is attaching the neckline band. If you want to see a tutorial on how to attach one, Click Here.

Construction Notes: There was one thing I did very differently from the way they recommend. They suggest you use elastic in the side seam to do the ruching. My thin elastic is old, and when I used it, it stretched out of shape. So I ripped it out and just gathered the front side seams to match them up to the back. I set the sleeve in flat (see below) and I serged all the seams. I used Bernie to hem it, so I could get a little feel for it. What a great machine!

Likes/Dislikes: Generally, I’m not a fan of ruched seams. They tend to make one look poochy. But the ruching here isn’t so extreme. And besides – how could I pass up a pattern that has the same name as mine? This pattern is beautifully drafted, and it sews up like a dream. It’s long, too, which I really like. The fit through the upper chest and shoulders is very much like RTW, with no gapping that I’ve had to deal with in other patterns. No dislikes.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? Yes and Yes! This is a great looking shirt that goes together in a little more than an hour. Also, the long sleeved version takes less than a yard of 60 inch fabric (as long as it’s not directional), so this is a great pattern for using up small bits in your stash.

Conclusion: I will definitely be making more of these, both short and long sleeved versions! Here’s a picture on Shelley:

How to “Flat Set” a Sleeve
First, sew your bodice front and back pieces together at the shoulders:

You can see here that the notches (I used tailors tacks) line up pretty readily. Lay your sleeve on top of your garment body with right sides together and match up all the markings. I basted the seam here, which is optional. It only adds a few seconds to the construction time and it makes everything lines up perfectly.

Then stitch or serge your final seam.

Remove the basting, press your seam and then you can sew the side seams.

Setting a sleeve this way takes much less time than the old sew-the-sides-sew-the-underarm-easestitch-and-set-in way. It works really well for knits. It also works pretty well for some stretch fabrics. It doesn’t always work for wovens (I probably wouldn’t use it on a tailored blazer, for instance), but it does for many shirt patterns. Give it a try!

Miscellaneous Stuff
DH dragged himself from his sickbed today long enough to take a couple of pictures of me in my Paco Skirt and Marcy Tilton Jacket. I was wearing my fierce boots too, but they don’t look right with a skirt, as it turns out. They are spats boots, and they look like I’m wearing pants under the skirt, which just doesn’t go. So after he took the picture I went upstairs and changed from the skirt into black jeggings, which look phenomenal with the boots. I need to invest in a new pair of black pumps, which I’ll wear with my skirt. But here you can see a picture (My tee shirt says “Meh.”, which I just love).

Everyone is on the mend here, except for DH. He seems to have relapsed into full blown flu, even though he had a flu shot. That stinks. I made chicken soup for all of us tonight. Here’s my weeknight chicken soup recipe:
1 rotisserie chicken from the supermarket
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
half a bag of carrot chips
one medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smushed and minced
3 large stalks celery, coarsely chopped
6 cups homemade (preferably) or low-salt chicken broth
1 bag of broad noodles
Salt and pepper

Skin the chicken, feed the skin to Hoover, and remove all the meat, tearing it into about 1 inch pieces. Set the chicken stock to simmering in a large stockpot. In another pot, cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. While the noodles are cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic, onion, celery and carrots and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Drain the noodles, and add all ingredients to the chicken broth. Heat until just below boiling. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve to anyone who has a cold or flu and they will know you love them.

I hope you manage to avoid this nasty bug. If not, this soup couldn’t hurt.

Happy sewing!