Pattern Fantastique Glacial skivvy x 3, ready for winter!

 I bought the set of three tees by Pattern Fantastique.  I like the two I have made so far - the Equinox and now the Glacial.  However it's so hard for me to remember which is which!  This (I've checked) is the Glacial.  It's a fitted top with a curved hem and different hem and sleeve length options.  The sleeve is dropped slightly.  On me this is a perfect fit baselayer top.  I made the long sleeve length and it's delightful.

I made a straight size 8. 

This pattern is cut flat rather than on the fold.  It is really annoying, but truthfully it uses a lot less fabric that way - I had a scant metre of the merino and would have struggled to get it cut on the fold.  The other annoying thing is the neckband is cut as the same length as the top so you MUST cut it shorter.  I really hate doing that as my estimates of neckband tightness are variably successful.  I generally was cutting off about 4". The other fun feature is that the hem bit is separate to the body in my pattern pieces and there was a mistake on the pattern with both the front and the back called front.  My little hem piece was incorrectly labelled.  I cut the longer hem on the first flowered version but I accidentally put the back hem on the front and vice versa.  Once I realised, I tailored a random new hem that is somewhere in between, lengthwise. When you buy these three patterns together you get them at a low price with no instructions - though there are instructions online.  This all suits me just fine.  One less thing to find fault with...

The flowered fabric is from Ansje Handmade, it's an Art Gallery oeko tex cotton spandex blend, perfectly spongey and amazing. Not there anymore.

The rainbows are from my order with blended thread awhile ago and were the precious fabric that actually tipped me over the edge to make the order, this is their bamboo or modal blend.  I still would not order from them again; the shipping etc were just too much and too many of the fabric bases are not really to my liking. 

I went with a shorter hem on the rainbows which feels surprisingly cropped, I must be getting used to having longer tops.  Thus I stuck with the correct version of the longer hem for my white merino. 

 

In terms of the white merino: I had a sudden vision of this top awhile ago.  Dunedin is blustery a lot of the time and merino makes sense.  I'm still wearing clothes at work (the scrub threat hasn't materialised) and I realised I absolutely needed a white baselayer top.  I actually went to the fabric store and picked out my perfect fabric to make this.  THIS is the advantage of having shops local.  I would never have made a white top otherwise!  It's really satisfying to realise I don't need to rush to buy fabric, since it's there just down the street.  I used pale aqua overlocker thread and it's fascinating how totally you can see through the top despite the cool honeycomb pattern of the merino. 

A multitude of tops: LB top, Hemlock, Glacial

This was prompted by a need to make a top for a friend, first of all.  But also, I had had a Vision, as you do and needed to follow it through. 

First off: the LB top by Paper Theory. As I have done before, this is without the funnel neck and without sleeves and without any other modifications. It creates a simple little shift top.  In this lovely flannel like fabric from Lamazi fabrics it's so cozy and drapey - I bought the wrong colour (it's hideous!  Haha the combination of dark green and gold really isn't my thing) and will suit my olive skinned friend Regina to perfection.  I use a small piece of bias binding for the neck, just folded over the sleeves on a double fold, and same to hem the bottom.  

 

Grainline Hemlock with minor modification of the sleeve 

This is a one-size pattern. 

This was my vision.  I have worked this pattern to death and my pattern pieces are a mess because of that, many pieces of badly labelled and taped together tracing paper.  Am I the only one who only accepts wrapping of my shopping if it will be wrapped in white tracing paper that I can reuse for sewing?

This version has just a bit of the sleeve added onto the shoulder compared to the original (which is a FREE PATTERN) - really just enough to create a seam allowance.  I have long since cropped it from the original which is a long shapeless top.  I then did a cuff of the same size as that sleeve bit - think maybe I should have tapered it a little. The cuff is folded double.  This fabric is by Mind the Maker.  It is their oeko-tex 100% cotton "organic slub jacquard".  It is quite heavy, almost sweaterlike, with only mechanical stretch and texture woven in.  Therefore a bit tricky as you need to think carefully what pattern it will suit.

 When I made this top I was really disgruntled the entire time because it looked so big and so...meh.  But the pictures show me that despite various neck band issues (I think I was planning to do it as a facing style band but that stretched out like crazy so then I did a tshirt type band instead), it matches my vision exactly.  I wanted a cropped but oversized pale top to wear all summer.  I need to get on with that next step - "wear all summer" cause the hot days are here. 

Pattern Fantastique Glacial skivvy, S 

This is the third of the tshirt bundle from Pattern Fantastique.  The price for the bundle was good.  I suddenly wanted a nice baselayer top (which I won't wear for months, honestly) and I thought this would be a great choice.  I didn't size down as the fabric I am using is a medium weight and not super stretchy, and the pattern is specifically drafted for merino blends.  This is another one of the Oeko-tex fabrics I got from my european shopping binge, this particular one from Ansje Handmade.  It is Mind the Maker organic woolen ottoman, 85% cotton, 15% wool.  It has a kind of horizontal rib look on one side and a smooth other side, and has a bit of a sticky feel ie none of the drapey dampness of rayon or viscose.  I went with the short waist length and to my surprise for a baselayer I could even have gone longer.  The long sleeves are just as the pattern says they will be - they go perfectly to my knuckles.  Near the end of winter and in early spring I was wishing for a top like this so I assume once the weather cools again I will wear it a lot.   

 

These patterns don't have any instructions, which is why they are cheap for the 3 patterns - but there are some instructions online if you need them (I think the Aeolian has more detailed instructions somewhere online too.)  I'm really enjoying this tee bundle!  The Equinox was lovely, though now that I've worn mine I will stick with the smaller size I made - and I'm sure once I get the itch to make the Aeolian I'll go crazy and make 3.