Rayon Twill Remy Raglan

Say that ten times fast!  Alliteration cha-cha-cha!  💃

A quick sewing post today. I made another Elemental Pencil skirt over the weekend that I will write about soon, but I wanted to talk about the Sew House 7 Remy Raglan, which is a woven t-shirt with two sleeve options.  I wanted a warm weather top that was breezy with 3/4 sleeves for better skin coverage.  #burnsinthemoonlight 

Enter the Remy!  This orangey-red rayon twill was my first go at the pattern.  I've never worked with rayon twill before (only challis) so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It has the same liquid drape as rayon challis, but the fabric is slightly beefier without being heavy, if that makes sense.  It was also shifty as all get out.  That said, I really like this pattern, with some caveats. 

The fabric is close to 60" wide, but I only had a yard, so I had to cut the sleeves on the cross grain.  I also shortened the body of the top about an inch and a quarter to make it work yardage-wise, and also because I knew the finished length would be too long on my short torso.  The neck binding wasn't quite cut on the bias, but it worked out okay because the substrate is pretty stretchy anyway.

  

I sewed a 12 based on my hip measurement and it is too big on me; I should have gone with my high bust measurement, but I was nervous about having enough room on the bottom.  Turns out there is plenty of room, as you can see--almost 20 inches of ease!  I'll still wear it (I've worn it twice already) but sized down for the second one (about which more later) and will probably size down another one or two sizes for the others I have planned--I can't decide if a 6 or 8 would be best.  I might make the sleeves a bit shorter in the future as well.  There were a couple of weird construction things that I won't do on future iterations (like understitching the bias binding, which only stretched out the neckline oddly), and I think a narrower hem would look nicer (I may still change that on this one, as the bottom doesn't always want to behave).  I could probably stand a forward shoulder adjustment, but honestly, I just can't be bothered.

I really like the swing of it, and find it extremely comfortable and cool in the humidity, even if it is a bit too big on me.  I also like it with my first Elemental skirt, although it the skirt probably too thick for super hot weather.  I have a thinner version planned for summer, as this silhouette really appeals to me right now.

I've tried 3/4 sleeve tops in summer before, but they were closely fitted t-shirts, and frankly, I was hot and sweaty.  Not good for hot flashes.  I realize now that my mistake was in wearing fitted clothing--you need air movement under and around the clothing to keep things breezy.  Also, ease around the armpits is key, which is why I want to get the fit right on this pattern--not too fitted, but a little less oversize than this iteration.  In any case, I'm feeling slightly less daunted by the hot weather.   

  

Yay for another sewing win!