Hello everyone, my name is Sarah and I’ll be your host for this months Sew Along! We will be sewing up the newly released Dream Tee from right here at Amelia Lane Designs! There are a few different options, which will provide a few different looks. I will be updating the blog every day as we go along, as well as posting in the Amelia Lane Designs Facebook group. If you have any questions, please ask!
Day 1: Printing, assembling and choosing fabric
Welcome to day one of the Dream Tee Sew Along! Today we will be printing and assembling our pattern. Today is also when you'll want to decide which options you plan on using. Maybe you'd like a short sleeve tee length with a plunge V neck. Or a long sleeve dress length with a scoop neck. Which ever option you choose, I can't wait to see your progress!
I went with my standard, short sleeve tee length with a scoop neck. Even though I live in the frozen tundra 6 months out of the year I love being able to pair short sleeves with a cardigan so I don't have to give them up come spring and summer!
A note on choosing size: You will want to choose based on your bust measurement. I normally have to do a full bust adjustment, but went with my full bust measurement and graded as needed. Go ahead and cut out your patterns pieces all cut out, and make sure your fabric is washed so you can jump right into tomorrow!
Day 2: Choosing and cutting fabric
Today you will be finalizing which options you'd like to sew (or which few! It's an addicting pattern!) I went with the scoop neck and short sleeves in tee length. I love the look of the deep V, but working with toddlers, that just isn't practical for every day use!
I chose to use Whitney DBP to add a touch of color to my wardrobe. Still not sure which fabric you'd like to use? Kendell wrote an AMAZING comparison blog that you could check out here. I think I'll have to pick up some more rib knit and give that a go next!
Day 3: Shoulders and neckband I'm glad y'all have stuck with me so far for this sew a long! Today is all about the shoulders and neckband!
You will want to match the front and back shoulders and serge (or using a stretch stitch) stitch those two together.
While the scoop neck band is my go to, I've given the v-neck a go as well. And let me just say, the directions are AMAZING! I had to call Mya to get some clarification, and she made those words into writing for y'all! One of the biggest things I took away from our chat was to not skimp on the stay stitching. I've tried a few other V-necks in the past and they've turned out ok, but ended up as PJ shirts. I pin pointed it to the fact that I never stay stitched the neck band or the V on my actual shirt. So make sure you don't skip those very important steps! One tip, if your fabric has the tendency to "grow" (something like rayon spandex), you may want to add some clear elastic in the shoulders especially. I like to add it to my side seams (under armpit to hem) if its a dress as well to help provide more stability, and my knee length dress won't end up a mid calf length by the end of the day! This one was DBP, so I opted not to, but if you have a super stretchy one, it never hurts! I'm so excited to see your progress!
Day 4: Side seams and sleeves We are in the home stretch! Today our shirts will take form and if you hate hemming, well I suppose you could wear it! (I've done it once or twice before ha!) Since this is a dolman top the sleeve construction is pretty easy. You will match right sides together starting at the sleeve and then pin/clip all the way down to the hem. Using your
serger or favorite stretch stitch, stitch down on both sides. If you have opted for short or elbow sleeves, your day is done! For long sleeves you will need to attach those. Personally I like to attach sleeves to dolmans in the round, so even for the hem version, I will put right sides together, and sew down the long side, and then follow the directions for the cuff sleeve. Otherwise you will find your middle point, matching the front of the sleeve to the front of your shirt, middle point to the seam, and then the back. It will look a little different from your non-dolman shirt but it works! Then you would match up where the wrists are, and pin/clip all the way down and using your serger or stretch stitch sew the side seam. Tomorrow we will be hemming and then you'll have your Dream Tee!
Day 5: Hems and Hacks
Today we finish our shirts! You're going to hem the bottom and if you chose any sleeve option but the long sleeve cuff, go ahead and hem those too. At this point I'll also usually top stitch my neckband since the correct color is already in my machine!
And now since you're probably hooked on the Dream tee, your closet is probably going to be over run with them ( I know mine is!). Why not spice some of them up with a hack?! When the Dream Tee was first released there was a small blog series on all the hacks. You can find it here. I saw some of you already going for the hacks which I LOVE! I pretty much want to try every hack on the blog, but I think my next one will be the slouchy one shoulder hack!
Do you have a favorite hack from the blog series? Maybe one that wasn't mentioned but you've been dying to try? I'm so interested in what hacks everyone comes up with/tries! And just like that we have our Dream Tee!