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Classic Tee Hacks Week

Do we have a fun week planned for you! We invited our favorite testers to hack the Classic Tee and share how to do it with you! Be sure to stop by everyday so you don’t miss a single look. Today for the Classic Tee Hacks Week, we have Pat, one of our Facebook moderators and fabulous tester comparing the different fabric options for the Classic Tee. We know fabric plays a big role in the outcome of our sewing projects. Pat is going to show us just what the different outcomes can be.

Love Notions’ new Classic Tee  is one of those oh-so-easy patterns that you want to make a million of.  But the big question is always what fabric works best?  Luckily, there’s a lot of choice.  But I wanted to see for myself, so I tried out five!

classic tee fabric post

Rayon Spandex

Rayon Spandex

This fabric is readily available.  It has a nice drape, is light and breathable — although it can cling and sometimes pills with wear and laundering.  I picked mine up at my local Fabricland store. However, rayon spandex is such a comfortable fabric, it’s well worth trying.

ITY

ITY

Interlock Twist Yarn (or Barcelona as I found it at Fabricland) is another readily available one.  I love the drape and it’s my favourite for the Laundry Day Tee but perhaps a bit clingy for anything that is a tighter fit as you can see!  As it’s 100% polyester, it will likely prove a bit warm for this pattern for summer wear, but I’m sure the colder seasons will find me wearing it frequently!

Sweater Knit

Sweater Knit

This fabric is a good choice for the Classic Tee – nice drape and will work very well for cooler weather.  Again, my local Fabricland was the source.  Another very comfortable fabric and I know I’ll be wearing it a lot in winter.

Cotton Spandex

Cotton Spandes

I used a medium-weight cotton spandex from l’oiseau fabrics and this time paired patterned and solid fabrics.  I love this version!  It’s a recommended fabric, but watch your drape or it could make the tee boxy.  The cotton spandex I chose for this version is very comfortable and I love the pairing.

Modal

Modal

I absolutely love my modal from l’oiseau fabrics! Another fabric from natural woody fibres, modal is easy-care, breathes, doesn’t pill and the drape is amazing.  Of the five fabrics I tried, this is definitely my favourite!  If you haven’t sewn with modal, now is the time to give it a try – and especially with this pattern.

So 5 Classic Tees in 5 different fabrics and the pattern is free until September 2018 simply by completing a survey.  Certainly one of those must-have patterns.  What fabric will you choose for yours?

puzzlnut

Author puzzlnut

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Join the discussion 17 Comments

  • frademacher says:

    I’m new to sewing with knits, so seeing the same garment in different fabrics very helpful to me. I can’t wait to make my first garment using your patterns!

  • Alexis says:

    I love all the comparisons. It is so interesting to me that your ITY one is clingy. My ITY is probably my favorite. LOL Great post!

  • ymrpike says:

    Which serger stitch did you use to top stitch the necklines? I keep debating whether to get a serger (would I use it enough), and I’d love to be able to get this kind of finish at the neckline. Using a double needle on my regular sewing machine is not as nice as this!

    • puzzlnut says:

      I used both a serger and a coverstitch machine. A serger is life-changing! It gives you seams that are neatly covered and yet have stretch. A coverstitch is what gives the 2 lines of stitching and I use it around the neck and on the hems. Not a necessary machine but I sure love mine!

  • Lee says:

    Beautiful job, Pat! Did you use the same size in all of them? It appears that the shoulder length was longer on several of them. So do you compensate for the give of the fabric and size down?

    • puzzlnut says:

      Yes, they were all the same size. If the shoulder length looks different, it’s probably because I didn’t stabilize the seam. And perhaps that’s something I need to pay more attention to in the future!

  • Beth H says:

    I was going to ask if you changed the length of some of them? The last two look a bit longer than the first few – and would be more the way I’d probably wear a t-shirt. Did you add length to the pattern, or was it just a function of how much you hemmed?

    • puzzlnut says:

      They are all the same length. The difference might be the way the pictures were taken. The first three were taken on fairly level ground while for the last two, the camera was slightly higher. You can definitely add the length you need.

  • Lori says:

    I really appreciate this post! I’m new to knits and still am a bit baffled by all the choices. Both the cotton-spandex and the modal are giving the look I would want. I have a question about modal, though – I thought that “modal” was just another name for rayon, so why or how is it different from the rayon in the first picture? How would I know if the modal I buy is more like your last picture than the rayon in the first shot? Thanks!!

    • Pat English says:

      How did I miss your question – so sorry! Modal and rayon are different fabrics. Rayon is generally made from bamboo while European modal (which I used) is generally made from birch. Both are made from woody fibres, but different ones.

  • Thanks so much for that very valuable comparison – I can now see what a difference the fabric makes to this pattern. Did you use the FBA front on this make, or just your regular size? I’m on the edge of needing a FBA but don’t want to loose the nice fit at the shoulder seam….My muslin was just too snug for my liking, so will use the same size but will try the FBA piece included with the pattern, which will hopefully give me the fit I’m looking for, but I’m hopeful ’cause the shoulders, length and neckline were perfect. Once I get that sorted out….look out knits – I’ll have a wardrobe of T’s!!!

    • Pat English says:

      I did use the full bust piece! It’s so important to get the fit for your shoulders right and the full bust piece allows you to do that while giving more room in the bust. It’s so much easier to grade out below there if needed. And you can blend sizes if you need more room in the armscye – there’s a post on how to do that in the Love Notions Blog!

  • Yvonne Trujillo says:

    Does the classic tee include larger cup sizing?

    • puzzlnut says:

      The Classic Tee has the full bust pattern piece which the newer Love Notions patterns have. If you have a difference of 4″ or more between your high bust measurement and full bust measurement you are advised to use it.

    • Tami Meyer says:

      It does have a full bust option. 🙂

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