Sayward Raglan Sew-along: Parade
This is the day I look forward to every time I create a sew-along: The parade of your finished garments!
Aiden’s version of the Sayward Raglan really excited me when it popped up in my Instagram feed…you wouldn’t know it from looking at the finished garment but it has actually been constructed using old upcycled t-shirts gifted to him by one of his brothers! You could do the same easily (and very affordably!) – just grab two old t-shirts from your closet or the thrift store and cut around any holes or tired screen prints when you place your pieces. Choose t-shirts larger than your preferred size to ensure you have lots of fabric to work with. Depending on how you place your pieces, you may even be able to avoid stitching the main hem!
Rachel was one of our test sewers – she stitched up a long sleeve variation of the Sayward for her husband. The body is French Terry and the sleeves and neck band are jersey. She was stash busting when she chose her fabrics which caused her to use two different fabric weights. I was pleased to see that this worked out very nicely!
Amy sewed this yellow jersey Sayward (which she blogged here) while pattern testing and her husband obligingly modelled. As you can see, when the Sayward is sewn in a solid color, the raglan seamlines are not necessarily very noticeable and it presents as a very classic looking t-shirt – great for layering!
Another of our testers, Tracy, sewed tees for both her husband and her son in a drapey polyester blend knit and a 100% cotton knit respectively. I found this comparison of fabric types was very useful to help fine tune my description of recommended fabrics in the instruction booklet. She was not satisfied with how the neckline drags and drapes on her husband’s shirt but liked how it worked for her son – I think this is all down to the drape of the fabric…men’s tees fit best when the fabric does not drape heavily against the body. Regardless, I think both tees look excellent and very wearable! Thanks for your feedback and for emailing this photo, Tracy!
Amber tested our pattern from the perspective of a novice sewist (and very talented knitter! You can view here work here.) and I was thrilled to have her feedback on stitching the neckline. She found the neckline stretched out when she applied the binding and gave excellent feedback about how I might elaborate within the instructions to avoid this confusion for a novice…so you can thank Amber for the clarity of the instructions on the final pattern! I believe she had plans to remove her stretched neckline and reattach it using her new sewing skills. Don’t worry if your neckline doesn’t turn out the way you like on your first try – it is fixable and you will find every attempt at stretching your binding without stretching the body of the shirt will become easier and more successful! You may also find that a small amount of undesired stretching settles itself after the first trip through the wash.
Last but not least, Cassie sewed this bold floral raglan for her husband and emailed us this photo – his measurements were several inches smaller than our smallest size so the resulting fit is looser than our intended fit – so this is an excellent example of how forgiving knit garments can be, especially with raglan sleeves! Even though the shirt is technically ‘too large’ for her husband, the fact that there are no shoulder seams or armscye extending too far down the shoulder results in a shirt that looks as though it fits intentionally loose. Her husband suits a larger neckline too (it looks modern and trendy)! I think raglans would be a great option to sew as a surprise gift (one which you can’t measure the recipient beforehand) because the raglan seams result in a garment that will appear to fit a broad size range.
Thank you to everyone who tested our Sayward Raglan and to those of you who have shared your finished projects! I look forward to seeing many more Saywards as we near Father’s Day. #saywardraglan