Laurie Striped Tee...in animal print!


Like many of you, I was introduced to new indie pattern company - Named - back in August by Rachel, who always has her finger on the pulse with these kind of things. Designed by Finnish sisters Saara and Laura Huhta, the patterns are very sleek and modern - admittedly a departure from my usual style, but I found their online styling and colour choices irresistible.


Seriously lacking in quality sewing time at the moment, I opted to give the Laurie Striped Tee a go...because it looked nice and easy and because I can do with more casual tops in my wardrobe. I was particularly drawn to the horizontal tucks which create a striped effect and I had the perfect lightweight jersey in my stash. I bought a random 1.5m piece of it for about £1 from a guy on Leicester market!



A few things to note about Named patterns:
  • They're only available as PDFs at the moment, in UK sizes 6 - 16. 
  • Each PDF comes in just two sizes (6 & 8 / 10 & 12 / 14 & 16), so chose wisely.
  • They're a little like Burda patterns in the sense that pattern pieces are overlapped and must be traced. This is where having only two sizes per PDF, despite being restrictive in some ways, makes life a lot easier. It also saves on printing paper. 
  • They're delightfully easy to assemble once printed, with less pages than usual and handy page numbers on the bottom right hand side of each sheet.
  • They only come with written instructions, which are rather basic. This could be a hindrance to less confident stitchers, even when attempting a simple pattern like this one.


Fortunately for me, I'm relatively experienced in terms of sewing with knits, so I found the Laurie Striped Tee a breeze to sew up. For the tucks I snipped a notch either side of each line and then used a ruler to join them up with a marker pen on the wrong side of the fabric. The neckline is finished with a neat band and the sleeves and hem are just turned under and stitched. I must say though, that this method for finishing sleeves in jersey always results in them rolling up for me, so I much prefer sleeve bands.


I can't speak for other Named patterns, but this one has a fair bit of ease as it's not meant to be a fitted T-shirt. I made mine up in a UK 12, pinched a couple of centimetres out of the shoulder width and shortened the length by a couple of inches. I really like the result as it's comfortable and easy to wear both with jeans and skirts - seen here in an unlikely, but pleasant pairing with my first Miette skirt. Next time though, I think I'll lower the neckline a bit and make it up in a UK 10 instead.

Have you tried your hand at any Named patterns yet? If not, are any on your wishlist? I certainly have my eye on quite a few more...

40 comments:

  1. Turned out lovely. I always go down a size on knit patterns even when they are suporsed to have negative ease. I just made the reese skirt... will be sharing that soon.

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    1. Oooh, can't wait to see that...it's a gorgeous design!

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  2. Totally love this! I really like that you used a print, so the stripe is more subtle but all about the texture - super cool :) And it looks lovely with your Miette skirt!

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    1. Thank you, that's lovely of you to say!

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  3. What a great shirt! I love the fabric and the pattern is perfect for it. Looks great!

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  4. Love your top, love the fabric! I think all the named patterns look stylish and very wearable. I'm thinking of the Fran tie shirt, and the Laurie as well! But first I need to finish a bunch of other projects... (a trenchcoat and 2 zinnias..:))

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    1. Sounds like you have a lot of yummy sewing plans on your plate ;o)

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  5. Ooh Marie this looks lovely and I'm in love with that fabric choice -what a bargain too! Think I might download this pattern now as I also need more casual tops. Love how you have styled this too xx

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    1. Thanks Clare! This would totally look ace on you!

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  6. I have this on my sewing wishlist! Really like your version. I'm loving the Named patterns, especially the raglan sleeve shirt and the kimono sleeve blouse.

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    1. Thanks Kathryn! And yep, they have some lush patterns!

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  7. This is so cute! I love your fabric choice - the print is the perfect thing to liven up the simple shape. I haven't tried any Named patterns yet, and I'd be wary of trying a dress as I often have to up two dress sizes from bust to hips, but I do have my eye on the Reese skirt.

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    1. Thanks Elena! Their sizing options per PDF are pretty limiting sadly, but the Reese skirt is lovely....hope you go for it!

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  8. The stripes on the first picture had me scratching my head- how does one get that look? Way to go pleats! Fierce!

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  9. Awesome make, love the fabric you've chosen for this pattern.

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  10. I'm loving you in animal print. I don't own anything in animal print but you're making me want to make something soon. The tucks are a nice feature and you're right, it looks great with the miette!

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    1. You don't?!? Oh dear Dixie...we must rectify that ;o) Although I think I love animal print a bit too much!

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  11. Love this animal print on you (I can imagine it paired with skinnies too, or a pencil skirt) and your horizontal tucks look great!

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    1. Oh yes, it will be worn to death with skinnies for sure ;o)

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  12. Nice job, pairing the top's simple shape with that fabric, Marie! I also particularly like the tucks. The fitting and the pairing with the red skirt look lovely.
    Filia!

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  13. I do love an animal print. Great top, I need to try Named Patterns.

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  14. This is really cute! I love it in animal print-- great choice! I'm a little nervous to try Named, but this really tempts me!

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    1. Thank you! Don't be nervous by the way, it's nothing you can't handle ;o)

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  15. Super cute! And I love what you paired the it with. The whole outfit is darling.

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  16. lovely shirt! It looks darling on you!

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  17. Sweet shirt! :)
    Love
    Tabea

    http://wolkedrei.blogspot.de/

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  18. I love that you love animal print as much as I do!

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  19. Very cute shirt! I like the tucks. You always look great in animal prints. :)

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    1. Thanks Becca, I just can't help myself when it comes to animal prints!

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  20. Very cute as always, you rock the animal print:)

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