Kirsten Kimono Tee - sewing with knits

I was reading Lauren's blog on the Guthrie and Ghani site a few weeks ago, and came across her lovely make of the Kirsten Kimono Tee from www.mariadenmark.com. As it happens, I've had a lovely length of red knit fabric in my stash for a few months now. So I took the opportunity and downloaded the free pattern to make my first t-shirt. As there are no darts and you don't need to set in sleeves, this is a really quick and easy make.

Pattern pinned and ready to cut

I like my t-shirts to be quite fitted, and the fabric I was using was really stretchy. Once I had cut the fabric out, I realised that it would look huge on me if I only used the 1cm seam allowances that I had counted on using. In the end, my seam allowances were more like 1.5 inches, and that gave me the fit I was looking for. I did properly grade between pattern sizes for the first time, and it worked out really well - I need a larger size at the hips, and the grading that I did flowed perfectly to give me the right amount of room where needed.

The most difficult bit of this make was the neckline. Lauren's overlocked version looks lovely, but I tried to follow the instructions, got myself a bit lost...and it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it. The ribbing is a little looser at the back and a little tighter at the front than it's meant to be, but as far as I can tell, it looks fine when I'm actually wearing it! It's something I'll definitely bear in mind though for next time.

Zigzag stitching at the sleeves

It's nice to have made a proper wardrobe staple - cake, not just icing! I'm sure I'll get plenty of wear from this. If you're thinking about taking on the challenge of knits, this free pattern is an ideal place to start.