Jalie 2806 -- Finished

Oh, how I love an easy project.  And Jalie pretty much never disappoints.  This is Jalie 2806 -- Scoopneck Tops with the gathering at the neckline.  I love how a  tee can be made so pretty with just a little bit extra -- namely the simple shirring at the front.

Jalie patterns often include patterns from a toddler size 2 to womens' plus size 22 and they use letters instead of numbers to list the sizes.  I made this in a size P, though I cut the shoulders in an O, which roughly corresponds to the largest girls' size.  I think the next one I'm going to make a straight P, though, since this one turned out to be just a hair too narrow in the shoulders.  I'm not sure why I chose to cut the pattern this way, since I traced and made my first version of this over a year ago and I haven't a clue why I did what I did.

The fabric is a gorgeous wool merino in a color that was listed as cognac on the fabric.com website (now sold out, I think).  This jersey is not the slightest bit itchy against bare skin, as a matter of fact, it is very, very comfortable. 

The pattern is drafted for 3/4 sleeves, but I used my handy dandy ruler to lengthen the sleeves a bit to make this long-sleeved version.  This pattern also has cute tulip sleeves as an option, and I'll probably be making a version with those come Spring.

Click the pic for a slightly blurry closeup

I also sewed the neck binding a little differently than the pattern instructions.  Instead of folding the binding piece in half and stitching to the neckline, I folded into thirds and then steam pressed it into submission.  Then I sandwiched the shirt front between the folds with the folded edge on the right side and the raw edge on the wrong side.  I coverstitched along the fold on the right side, and the thread of the coverstitch covered the raw edge on the underside.  This keeps the binding from trying to flip over around the neckline -- something that was a problem with my first version of this top.

All told, this is a cute, casual tee that can be dressed up or dressed down.  It looks good all by itself with jeans, throw on a jacket or vest for a slightly more formal look, or wear it with trousers or a skirt to the office.  This is definitely a TNT pattern for me, and I'll be making more of these with a variety of fabrics.