Tag: kabuki tee

So far, June has been a thouroughly disappointing summer month.  Totally unlike the lovely hot weather we had last year, even though that was highly unusual weather.  June in the UK is quite like April, it rains on and off all month.  But this June seems to have been extra wet, which means I’m not gardening, so more sewing time!

I’ve made a start on using the fabric I bought while in South Africa, it’s all washed and ironed and ready to use, and I’ve managed to find some patterns to go with some of the pieces.  One piece I’d bought with a pattern in mind, the LB Pullover from Paper Theory.  But – I changed my mind at the last minute and went with the Kabuki Tee instead.  The fabric in question is linen, it used to be black and white wide stripes, but after washing is now black and pale grey!

I quickly ran into a problem with the fabric though, I’d seen it in my head with the stripes running horizontally, but on laying it out on the cutting table realised the stripes ran parallel with the grain, so now they had to be vertical!  I really wasn’t sure if I wanted stripes running up and down.  I draped the fabric over my shoulder and swanned about in front of the mirror for a bit, to make up my mind, and eventually went with the stripes running vertically.  As it turns out, it was the right decision.

As with the last Kabuki Tee, I reinforced the pivot area with a scrap of fusible interfacing to give it a bit more strength, and I overlocked the insides as I sewed.  I have a feeling though, that the next one I make will have to be a size down, as my measurements continue to get smaller, I think it’s time to re-trace some of my patterns.  Now all I need is the right weather to wear the finished article!  I could wear it with a long sleeve tee underneath, but unfortunately all my winter wear is in the loft!

I prefer wearing this top with a more straight leg or fitted pair of trousers, jeans are great, but wide legs don’t suit it quite that well. Which is odd, because the chambray Kabuki I made before heading off on holiday looks great with wide leg trousers…

 

I’m on a Paper Theory roll at the moment!  I’ve enjoyed making and wearing the LB Pullover this year, and the Zadie Jumpsuit had its christening this week on holiday in South Africa. It was lovely to wear!  The other pattern I’ve made is the Kabuki Tee.  It’s a loose, boxy, oversized tee pattern, designed for woven fabrics.  I’d admired the large sleeves and front detail, with the opportunity to play with direction with stripes or other patterns.

This first garment is a plain, I bought some grey chambray earlier in the year with the Kabuki in mind.  It’s probably a little stiffer than would be preferable, but I like the way it keeps the boxy shape of the design.  All the edges were overlocked after sewing the relevant seams to keep it all neat and tidy inside, and I topstitched the armhole/sleeve seams.

It’s a relatively quick pattern to make, the instructions, as with all the other Paper Theory patterns are pretty straightforward.  To make sure that there wouldn’t be any holes or inclination to tear once the corners on the front and back were snipped to allow for rotation and insertion of the sleeves, I interfaced that area with a scrap of fine sheer fusible.  It just gives a little more stability to the fabric that’s going to be weakened.

I’ve worn the tee twice on my holiday in South Africa, and it’s been really comfy to wear.  Hubby doesn’t like the oversized armholes, says  need slimmer sleeves, but I like the look.  I’ve also made a version in viscose, just to see how it looks in a much more drapey, fluid fabric.  But I haven’t managed to wear that one just yet, so pics are non-existant!

I dragged the other half to a fabric shop to stock up on fabric to refill my suitcase (having emptied it of loads of stuff I brought out for friends and family) and picked up a black and white wide stripe linen that will either be another Kabuki or possibly another LB Pullover.  I’m liking the idea of stripe manipulation…