Tee with Inverted Front Pleat

left view

Only look at the tee, not my facial expression, please.  I was so intent on watching the timer on the camera that I forgot to smile.

With summer just around the corner, a couple of new tees were in order.  I picked this fabric, and a couple of others when a local fabric store was having a sale.  It’s a nice, soft, ITY knit.  (Read more about ITY’s by clicking here.)

I used a tried and true pattern, MacPhee Model Tee

323 model Tee

By angling the front pattern piece on the fabric I added a couple of inches to the width of the front neckline.  The pic shows a different tee with a larger pleat that I had a photo of.  For the top I’m wearing I pivoted the pattern piece so the neckline was just 2 inches from the fold.  I also straightened the bottom like the photo.

pattern hack

After cutting out the front, I marked the neckline where the original would have been, also at the fold, then with the front folded with right sides together I used a straight stitch and sewed a 2 inch “seam” following the line of the original fold. 

I opened out the extra bit of fabric, matched the mark made for the center front to the sewing line and opened out the fabric to make the pleat.   I basted it just inside the 3/8 inch seam allowance.

inside of pleat

stabilized shoulders

You’ll notice that I used a fusible interfacing to stabilize the shoulders.

To finish the neckline on this top, I measured around the unfinished neckline, it was 62 centimeters, multiplied by .8 = 49.6.  I rounded to 50 cm and cut the band 1 inch wide with the 50 cm going with the stretch. 

After joining the short ends, I quarter marked both the neckband and the neckline, matched the marks and serged the band on with neck finishthe right sides together. 

To finish the band I turned it and the seam to the inside, wrapping the band around the serging, then sewed it from the right side, 1/4″ from the edge, enclosing the serging.   I carefully trimmed off the excess band. 

right view

Then the sleeves went in, the side-seams serged, and a rolled edge for the hems on the sleeves and the bottom.  I like it! And it looks great with my 7th pair of Jalie Pull-on Jeans.

Now the sun is out, so it’s outside time.

 

Yvette Chilcott

I'm a mother of 3, stepmother of 3. My hubby and I share our home with 2 cats, and my hobbies, including my food experiments.

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