Gemma’s Greco Tee
I love receiving fabrics that I wouldn’t instantly gravitate to when I get my box, as I can have a little think as to what to make which adds to the joy of the creative process. This month’s fabric certainly makes me happy as a knitter, as it has such a beautiful knit texture to it!
A really intriguing fabric, it is a loop knit but very drapey with little structure, and at first it puzzled me as to what to make with it. It is a little sheer due to the weave, so anything trouser-like was out of the picture, and I needed something that would work well with that drape. It is quite a wide stripe, so something that I could perhaps play around with stripe placement would also be good.
Doing what I usually do when needing inspiration, I was browsing The Fold Line website for simple top ideas, and came across what I thought was the perfect pattern: The Greco Tee by Ensemble (No longer trading). Not only is this a free pattern, but it has lots of variations for you to mix and match your ideal look, is perfect for drapey fabrics, and the sample is also made in a large stripe, so I knew it would work! It was as if the pattern was made for me this month!
With so many variations, it can get a little overwhelming as to what options to go for at first. It also seems like an oversized fit, and I wasn’t sure whether I should stick with my size or size down for a more fitted look. As I was thinking this would be a great layering piece over thermals for now, I decided to go with my measurements and made the 18. I also chose the high-low hem, as I thought that would be great to have the front tucked into jeans, and as I wanted to play around with the stripes I went with the sleeve and cuff option.
I did have to make a slight alteration – when sticking together the pdf it was quite a long fit, so I shortened it by approx 10cm to create a more ‘cropped’ look (although it actually just made it fit my torso better!) I decided to use a ribbing for my neckline. Because the fabric doesn’t have much structure I wanted it to have good recovery, and personally I also tend to use ribbing for this reason, so the necklines don’t stretch out. It also adds a little more visual interest!
Despite its appearance the fabric itself isn’t too tricky to work with, although be warned – because of the nature of the loop texture it does shed! This is one of those ‘whip it up in an afternoon’ satisfying projects, when you want something simple and quick. I love how easily it came together, and is definitely something that is a wardrobe staple that we all end up making lots of.
I did attempt a little stripe matching, and thought it would be easy given that the stripes are so large, but alas – one side matches, and the other is alternate, I don’t know how i managed that but c’est la vie!
Sizing wise I do think I should have gone down as it is a very oversized fit – somehow my sleeves are nearly full length on me! The neckline is also quite big even using the ribbing, but I do love the slouchy vibes it gives, and really is a comfortable layering basic that I know I will be wearing again and again!