Simple T-Shirt: By A Great British Sewing Bee...

"Simply T-Shirt"

I recently got the Great British Sewing Bee: Sew Your Own Wardrobe Book.  We can't get this show here in Australia, but I watch some episodes on Youtube. Of cause I adore the show as a sewer and find it very inspiring, but does the book live up to the show? In short, it is as inspiring as the show but it is not  informative enough, in terms of sewing skills and techniques, again just as the show. Today I will just briefly review the book, and share one of the projects I made from the book - Simple T-Shirt.

Or call it Loose Blouse...

The Book Review
The book comes with a packet of full size pattern. The book is well packaged and contains beautiful photographs. Most importantly, the designs of the projects are very up-to-date. I really love this loose fit Simple T-Shirt that I made one for myself straight away.

The Good:
1) The full size patterns (projects) are the main reason I got this book. From baby to menswear, from a everyday blouse to a prom dress.
2) I like the master class after every project. I learnt some new information there
3) The overall packaging of the book and the photos are so inspiring that I am itching to sew its projects.

The bad:
1) The book is more for beginners. If you are at a more advanced level, you will probably find there is no new information here
2) The sewing instructions for the projects are not detailed and often omit illustrations for difficult steps.
3) I want more projects!!

The Simple T-Shirt

I had not sewn a loose blouse before so when I saw this photo, I said to myself "I need to make it." It recommends using lightweight jersey. But I used a flowy crepe, with bold print. It requires extra care to handle the fabric, but it's a very good exercise if I plan to make some soft silk dress alike.

I used 70/10 Sharp needle.

Another thing I learnt is making a smooth binding on the neckline and the sleeve hems (see below pictures). This is tricky. For a long time I always sewed ugly neckline bindings (not flat, with puckers). This time, I made huge progress. My trick is using glue stick when placing the bias strip along the neckline. Using glue stick in sewing is the biggest tip I have learned from making Sewaholic's Granville Shirt!

Double-fold binding on the neckline. Can you see how smooth it is!

Single-fold binding on sleeve hem.

I must say this is one of my best made garments so far. Yes it seems simple but it took me lots of time on sewing the bias binding.

Love the uneven hem too

Speaking of the Granville Shirt, I had made the second version as I promised in my last post. I will post it up tomorrow. Meanwhile, I will also further explore this book. So follow me for updates!

What's your favorite sewing book? I love collecting and reading sewing books. I would love to know what you are reading. :)