Deer and Doe Plantain Tee

I made myself a tee from the free Plantain Tee pattern from Deer and Doe.  I'm so happy with how the prints came together!  It's such a cheerful top.

The yellow and white stripe was another one of my 100 yen/meter (about $1/yard) finds, and it's a nice one.  It's soft but not too stretchy.  My top maybe came out a tiny bit small, but only because of this fabric--if I was using a more typically stretchy knit I would make the same size again.  Oh, and also because of the fabric I used (I think), I had a little trouble with my neckline binding.  I cut it on the bias to get a little more stretch out of it, but it came out too wide and wouldn't lay flat.  So I folded it over to the outside and topstitched it down, which worked great!  I am actually very pleased with the final result on the neckline.

Whoo, stripe matching!

For the accent panels, I used bits and pieces of the Melody Miller Ruby Star Spring 2012 that I found for 380 yen/meter (less than $4/yard).  This fabric has a bunch of different prints incorporated into it, so it was fun to figure out which pieces I wanted to use.

It's on sale at fabricworm.com for only $5.50/yard! Here's the link!

I cut up one strip that featured the floral and made that into the elbow patches and the shoulder panels (I added those; they are not part of the original pattern), and I used a different part to make the back yoke (also my addition to the pattern).

I have long arms, so my elbow patches ended up hitting just a bit high. When I tug the sleeves all the way down, my elbow barely hits the bottom of the patch.  So when I make this pattern again, I'll lower my elbow patches by about 2 inches I think.  I also added about 4 inches to the length, because I like long tops.  Partially because I have a long torso, but I also just feel more comfy in my skinny jeans if my top covers up a bit more!

To give a better idea of the length

I love the way the pattern looks with the woven fabric accents!  When adding in the wovens, it's definitely good to err on the side of caution in terms of size--the wovens won't stretch, so it's good to have a little extra room in there for the armpits and shoulders.  Next time, I will cut my woven back yoke a size or two larger than the size I am cutting for the t-shirt. I also made sure to leave a little extra seam allowance where I would be attaching the wovens.

The shape of this tee is great--it's fitted in the bust but has a slight a-line, so it feels comfy and casual without looking sloppy.   There are three sleeve options too--short, 3/4 (what I sewed), and long.  I definitely need more of these in my fall wardrobe!