The Quest for the Perfect Tee

I’m always on the hunt for the Perfect Tee. You know, the one you wear every time its clean (and sometimes when its not), the one that makes you feel confident and stylish but is still super comfortable to wear, the one that never makes it out of the dryer and into your closet before you’ve put it on again. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all the spare time I’ll have now, because I FINALLY FOUND IT!

 

When Patterns for Pirates put out the tester call for the Favorite Tee and the Fav Tee Mini (bundle), I was initially skeptical. Between P4P and M4M, they already have so many great t-shirt patterns- how could this one add to the collection without being a repeat? I’ve sewn and love the Mama Mya, the Mama Ava, the Sweet Tee and the Slim Fit Raglan. I couldn’t imagine how to improve on that line up, but I shouldn’t have doubted, because they totally did.

If I sound a bit like I’m gushing, its because I am. I was assigned the tunic length to sew for myself and Sophia, and again, I was unsure whether someone of my height could look good in the tunic, whether it would flatter without looking like I slept in my husband’s t shirts. Spoiler alert: it’s now my favorite tee, and I have plans for so many more!

I love the split hem, and the depth of the V neck is just low enough to be sexy without being inappropriate for work. As you can see from my photos, its also easy to nurse in ( when baby’s hungry during a photo shoot, you don’t ever say no, unless you want said baby to look really cranky!).

There are plenty of other hem options too- a cute knotted hem (I can’t wait to sew that one!), a curved hem, and a t shirt length with a plain hem option. If you’re intimidated by the V-neck, don’t be. The directions are really easy to understand, and while it takes a bit of practice to get your “v” centered, its easy to baste and check it and adjust if necessary. A scoop neck is also included as an option in the pattern. The neck on the girls version is a bit higher, which I find totally appropriate for kids, and the fit on Sophia is spot on (she wears the 12 month size, for reference).

Like a universal t-shirt, this pattern can be made up in a variety of fabrics- these are made from a super soft double brushed poly from The Fab Clique Fabric Shoppe, but cotton lycra, rayon spandex, modal, french terry, or liverpool are all great options as well (check out her shop on facebook for more in stock fabrics that would be perfect!). In fact, I plan to sew up another version with an applique on the back (The Fab Clique has frequent applique sales as well!), following this tutorial.

We shot these photos during a family picnic in the park, which is my favorite way of taking photographs. Unfortunately, the days are getting longer but bedtime stays the same (for my sanity), so we may not be able to do this for the whole summer-  I’m soaking it up while I can. You can definitely see how Sophia is on the move here- its because she was trying to book it back to the picnic spot to steal chips from her brothers!

As a side note, I really respect designers who take the time to get their patterns right before releasing them into the world. This pattern was supposed to be released over a week ago, but as the final photos trickled in, the designers noticed that the top wasn’t fitting everyone quite right- so they went back to the drawing board to make a few minor but important changes to the fit to get it perfect. While the initial fit was great on me (likely do to my small bust), I love them all the more for it, and am really proud of promoting a pattern where such great care was taken with its design and fit. Thanks P4P- I’m proud to be a pirate!

Go grab your  bundle here!

Or, you can buy the Favorite Tee and Fav Tee Separately here. They’re on sale for a limited time so don’t miss it!