Plain Plantains

 

My go to outfit is jeans/trousers, a T-shirt and a jumper. Given that most of my T-shirts are minimum 4 years old and starting to show their wear pretty badly, I decided to invest some time in making some replacements.

I started with the Plantain T which is a free PDF pattern by Deer and Doe. I was drawn to it by its basic shape and the optional cute elbow patches.

I’ve made two so far, both from cheap jersey from the Abakhan fabric bins. The sun is so bright in these photos they look the same, but one is white and the other is much thinner pale green jersey. You can almost tell them apart from the way they drape.

I did a slight full bust adjustment using this easy method for no-darts fronts by Maria Denmark. I also graded out two sizes at the waist. I could have graded back in for the hips but I decided not to and kept the extra room.

I sewed the whole thing up on the over-locker which was slightly brave considering my lack of experience with knit garments. It made it a really quick make, completing both in the same week (I like to sew at a relaxed pace). 

The seam allowance in the pattern is 5/8”, but it’s really hard to gage that on the over locker. Because of this, my first attempt at the neck band went a bit awry (above). Altering the seam allowances down to 3/8” will make this much easier next time as I’ll be able to line the fabric up with the edge of the machine.

I cut a new band, trimmed the neckline to make it symmetrical again, and got it sewn on fine eventually as you can see from my second attempt above. My twin needling could with a little work, but I’ve already got some tips on how to improve that thanks to Instagram.

I really enjoyed making this pattern, I can’t wait to try the long sleeve version next. I'm also looking forward to trying the Ebony T-shirt by Closet Case Patterns because I have picked up a couple of very light weight drapey jerseys. I also want to try the Maria Denmark Kimono Tee pattern because I hear it's a good way of using up smaller amounts of left over fabric.

What is your favourite T-shirt staple?