Sleeveless Top - New Look 6160

I've had this pattern forever, and lately I've had quite a hankering to make some t-shirts and tank tops.  I've always loved the pink and yellow version on the front of the pattern envelope.  I now have some pink stretch in my stash, and I'm sure I have some yellow spandex buried somewhere.  That'll be my next version.

The fabric I used for this was some white/heather gray t-shirt knit that I bought at Davey Fabrics from the discount bin.  I'm not a big fan of wearing plain white, but for some reason, I just love this colour.  I decided to use the funky stripe spandex from my latest kimono sleeve top to use for the shoulders and neck binding.  

I measured my favorite fitted t-shirt, and I made the following alterations to my pattern:  I added 2 1/2" of length at the waist.  I cut an 18 at the bust/shoulders, and a 16 at the waist and hips.  The torso is perfect.  

Before

I ended up with some gaping at the armhole, but I decided to go ahead and stitch down my armholes and see if it made a difference.  It didn't.  I had to make a bust dart at the armhole.  On the pattern, I will be transferring this to a 
side seam bust dart.  I don't mind having darts in a t-shirt, if it means it'll fit as good as this!

After

Another minor adjustment I did was to hem the armhole 3/4" at the shoulder, instead of the recommended 3/8".  Next time, I will also do a 1" swayback adjustment, and add the same length to the hem at center back.

It feels slightly odd to have a t-shirt that feels, well, tailored!  I like it!  I'm going to tackle the other shirt from this pattern, and make the same changes.  I don't have a lot of t-shirts, and I need all kinds: long-sleeved, short-sleeved, sleeveless, racer-back, etc.  I'm excited to get started on the next one!

I topstitched everything with orange thread and the coverstitch on my serger.  I like how it looks.

I'm beginning to see a trend here.  When I have a pattern or fabric that I really like, I will make it at least twice.  I've made 2 kimono sleeve tops (with at least one more to go!), and I've used this funky pink fabric twice, and there's lots more where that came from!  Also, remember the fucshia/purple/orange flame fleece I made my onesie out of?  I have enough left to make a Jalie hoodie!  I'm so excited to dig into more of these projects.  Plus, working with knits is quick and satisfying.  

Yay! sportswear!