At the end of the summer, my family went on a lovely vacation through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. These are beautiful states and we enjoyed experiencing them and learning more about them. New Hampshire's state motto is "Live free or die." That wasn't news to me, but it was interesting to see it stated so many places. It feels a bit edgy and unique to me. After reflecting on it a bit, it reminded me of this quote from Robert Louis Stevenson that I really like:
To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.
After making that connection, I decided I wanted a T-shirt with the motto on it. I like graphic T-shirts, but usually feel torn about them - sure that's a nice bird/flower/bike/whatever on the shirt, but shouldn't it mean something? Maybe that's too much thinking about a T-shirt, but here I saw my chance to have a graphic tee and have it be meaningful. The problem was that all my choices were the classic, boxy souvenir T-shirt style. I pulled an XXL from the bottom of a pile and figured I'd remake it.
After I used Kwik Sew 3338 last, I knew that it was going to take some reworking to get a decent fit. I used fabric with the same amount of stretch as this T-shirt (i.e. not much) for muslins. I knew the shoulder was an issue, so I made a 1/2" forward shoulder adjustment (ugh. sit up straight, self!). That was a good adjustment, but the first muslin also indicated that I needed a full bust adjustment. I didn't want a dart in the T-shirt, so I just eased that into the side seam.
Other changes were adding length to the bodice and choosing a neckline somewhere between view A and B.
I trimmed the neckline with this double raw-edge finish. The voices in my head are still debating about whether that was a good idea. After it's worn and washed, the edges will likely curl more and I think that will improve the look. We'll see. It's different.
Here's the motto up close:
What's a motto? Nothing! What's a motto with you? Well, actually there is the little motto of what to wear with this. I think I'd like a jacket for this one, too. Hmmm. I'd better get busy...
To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.
After I used Kwik Sew 3338 last, I knew that it was going to take some reworking to get a decent fit. I used fabric with the same amount of stretch as this T-shirt (i.e. not much) for muslins. I knew the shoulder was an issue, so I made a 1/2" forward shoulder adjustment (ugh. sit up straight, self!). That was a good adjustment, but the first muslin also indicated that I needed a full bust adjustment. I didn't want a dart in the T-shirt, so I just eased that into the side seam.
Other changes were adding length to the bodice and choosing a neckline somewhere between view A and B.
Here's the motto up close:
What's a motto? Nothing! What's a motto with you? Well, actually there is the little motto of what to wear with this. I think I'd like a jacket for this one, too. Hmmm. I'd better get busy...
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