New pattern: the Jeanne T-shirt

If you like sewing basics, you'll love Jeanne.

With a modern, casual and boyfriend fit, Jeanne will be your new best friend. Yes, Jeanne is a BASIC. It will quickly become a staple in your wardrobe! 

I remember when being a newbie to sewing, I could mess up a nice fabric just because I wanted to put my personnal touch to the garment. When you start sewing, you often choose simple patterns and then start thinking OOOOhhhhh I have this nice ribbon that I could add here or there.... OOOOOhhhuuuu I'd like to finish that with a nice glitter piping..... OOOuuuhhhhouuuu I'd like to make my sleeves and collar in a different fabric....Ouuuhhhh I'm gonna add ruffles everywhere... and then you end up with a clothe looking really homemade. It is tempting to add details when sewing. Probably because sewing your own garment gives you the power to create, to choose, to customize but it's also a bit tricky because you must find a balance between customizing a garment and ruining a garment.

I can already tell you that Jeanne will not be your next "WHAOUHHH Did you make that?" But sewing your own T-shirt can be really cool. If you take the time to choose the right fabric, to sew a nice neckband then you'll end up with a garment that will get a lot of wear, a basic. Isn't this the reason why we sew our clothes? Because we love sewing, because we are part of a great community, because we don't want to support fast fashion, because we love to WEAR our home-made clothes.

The pattern comes with four differents options:

- The long sleeves T-shirt dress with a split hem longer in the back

- The short sleeves T-shirt dress with a split hem longer in the back

- The basic boyfriend T-shirt

- The light sweatshirt with a lower ribbing band

For each option, you can add a little patch pocket at the front.

You can of course play with the different options by mixing them. 

- A short sleeves sweater.

- An even more basic T-shirt without the cuff.

- The T-shirt dress with a straight basic hem.

And so on...

Which fabric to use for Jeanne?

A light to medium-weight jersey with a soft, slinky drape: viscose, modal, silk and elastane blend jersey, Ponte roma. The dusty pink T-shirt's sample is made of a modal jersey from Littlefabrics. The silver T-shirt's sample is made of a silk jersey from Les tissus du chien vert. The dresses' samples are made of a Ponte di roma knit fabric from Stylish fabric. 

Jeanne’s pattern is classed as "Advanced beginner" due to the little number of pieces and the ease of assembly.  The patch pockets require precision and a little courage! However, no need to panic because you can just practice on scraps before sewing your "real T-shirt".

I know that many of you struggle sewing a knit neckband. Here is a little tip: always always always baste your T-shirt neckband either using a regular sewing machine or a serger. The thing is, there’s no SET RULE for how long to make a neckband, because it has a lot to do with how stretchy your knit is. Always baste you neckband in place with a long stitch before sewing it for real and ADJUST it if needed! 

There is also a tutorial on my blog to help you sewing and pressing the sleeves.

Seam allowances are 6mm, if you're not using a serger but a regular sewing machine, you can add a few millimeters to the seam allowances before cutting or tracing your pattern.

The Jeanne sewing pattern quicly became a wardrobe staple for me. I'm planning a black and a white one.

I hope that you will like Jeanne! Get to your machines, your scissors and fabrics!