I finally sewed the Mandy Boat Tee, that much-loved FREE pattern from Tessuti Patterns!

The  striped Mandy Boat Tee has become somewhat ubiquitous in the online sewing world. Dare I say, even iconic? At the very least, a modern classic!

Drop shoulders in stripes are pretty much my fashion ultimate.

All aboard the Mandy Boat

So I’ve been wanting to jump on the Mandy Boat Tee ‘boat’ for a while.

In the end, the final ‘push’ to get me aboard was that I’d just had a shitty day.

You know those days, right?

Started with a fight with the hubby. Toddler screamed all the way to day care. Stressed to the max at work. And so I just wanted to come home and sew something instant and easy.

Enter: Mandy Boat Tee.

This mustard and white striped organic cotton single jersey came from Fabworks Mill Shop. It’s perhaps slightly thick for this pattern, but it still works.

Mandy Boat Tee mods

Having stalked the Mandy Boat Tee pattern online for a long time, I knew that I didn’t want mine quite as wide as designed. So I reduced the width of the pattern by about 4 inches.

I contemplated slightly widening the sleeves, as I’d read quite a few people suggesting that. In the end, I measured the pattern pieces and thought that it would be OK as drafted. Ultimately, it’s a tad snug, I will add a centimetre or so next time around, but it’s totally wearable.

I made a few very minor additions when sewing the Mandy Boat Tee: adding elastic into the shoulder seam for added stability and hemming the sleeve in the flat before sewing it on. Anyone else out there not like using the long arm on their sewing machine? And, of course, there’s nothing like an added patch pocket for some stripey visual interest.

The most difficult decision was at what length to hem my Mandy Boat Tee. This length , which is around 4 inches shorter than designed,  ultimately seemed more wearable than the more tunic-length, especially with high-waisted pants, which I am really loving at the moment! I feel that tunic lengths work best with very straight legged silhouettes, which is just not my preferred shape on my bottom half. I did make the hem at the back about an inch longer than at the front and curved it around to the side seam.

And so, voilà, another sewing goal met.

Another crappy day salvaged by sewing.

Another happy striped Mandy Boat Tee out in the world.

And there will be more…

And did you see that the Mandy Boat Tee has a cool-weather cousin – Tessuti have recently released the FREE Monroe Turtleneck pattern!!

More sewing goals…