After working on several projects for myself, I figured it’s time to turn my attention to making a piece of clothing for BabaJ. We took informal measurements (meaning I took an existing shirt of his and held it up next to the master pattern with all sizes printed on it), and made a best guess of which size to make.
| Pattern Name/No., Source | unisex tee, Alabama Chanin |
| Size | M |
| Fabric | light blue cotton/syn blend |
| Thread | neutral |
| Embellishment | – |
| Custom Notes | – |
The best guess wasn’t the best outcome. So I unattached the sleeves (oh, the pain of undoing one’s work!) to allow for comfort at the armpit area and across the chest. I didn’t bind the sleeves since he’ll use it as a gardening shirt.
That, and…
Another shirt project was born: go a size up! Same fabric, thread, and stitches on version 2.
This size fit MUCH better and makes my guy happy; I’d call that a success!
| Pattern Name/No., Company | unisex tee, Alabama Chanin |
| Size | L |
| Fabric | light blue cotton/syn blend |
| Thread | neutral |
| Embellishment | – |
| Custom Notes | short sleeve |
What I learned from this two shirt extravaganza is that I would NOT choose to hand sew with a fabric like this again – it shifts easily, and doesn’t keep its desired shape (especially the neckline – shown below). Nice and lightweight for BabaJ; not desirable for hand sewing.
seam closeup 
neckline after shirt worn/washed several times 
sleeveless version of shirt #1 (left unfinished) 
will not stitch label on this way again 🙂
