Now first of all – I didn’t actually make this tee!  I was going to, I have the (free) Tessuti Mandy boat tee pattern, but when my friend Karen offered it to me because she thought it would suit me better than her, I wasn’t going to say no.

This tee has definite similarities to the Grainline Hemlock tee (also a free pattern), but there are some subtle differences. The Mandy has a boat neckline that is turned and stitched, whereas the hemlock has a straightforward round neckline with a band. The Mandy also has tighter sleeves, which balance the large boxy shape of the body. The Hemlock is oversized and boxy through the body as well, but not quite as much as this – and the sleeves are not quite as fitted.  Both patterns are one size only.

So yes, they are same same – but different. I rather like the Mandy boat neckline, that is turned and twin needle stitched before the shoulder seams are sewn. I did actually do a very small amount of the sewing on this tee – I hemmed it, so maybe I do have some small claim to it being of my own making. The fabric is a beautiful quality cotton/lycra that Karen found somewhere and I’ve used before for a Renfrew top. Isn’t it great when friends share their stash and their sewing?

By the way, the skirt in these photos is the reverse side of the handbag printed skirt by Ngati Fifi that I mentioned a couple of blog posts ago.