You don’t really know if a pattern works for you until it’s been in your wardrobe for a while and you know how often you wear it.  The Maria Denmark Olivia tees I’ve made previously have been worn quite a lot, and have recently exited the wardrobe.  Time to get the pattern out and sew it up again!

No, there’s not much to it – front, back, band on the bottom, bands on the sleeves, neckband. I use a mishmash of sizes that removes the waist shaping completely.  The fabric is a double brushed poly that I picked up at Lincraft.  It was the last of a roll – I already have a dress in the same fabric and love both the print and the way that the fabric feels against my skin.

The bands are cut to length rather than being pattern pieces. I could have made the hip band a little shorter, I think. The neckband is always the trickiest part to get right in this pattern. The curve at the bottom of the neckline is quite pronounced and unless you pull the band tight enough and that point it has a tendency to stick out away from the body rather than lie flat against it. This one worked out okay, just – steam from the iron and topstitching down the seam allowances have definitely helped.

From the pattern website: Olivia is super trendy, super relaxed, super easy to sew and super easy to fit! Pick out any of your favourite wool, rayon or bamboo jerseys and in about an hour, you’ll have a great top to wear with skinny jeans, tight slacks or tights! Make it in a stripe to wear with a blazer jacket for work, in a fun print for everyday joy, or in a plain fabric that goes with everything! This jersey tee has a lot of ease, but still shaping enough to not look sloppy. The t-shirt has short or 3/4 length sleeves, finished with ribbing (or you could just hem the sleeves) and has a hem ribbing band as well, which really adds something to the shape of the tee.

Construction is as expected – pretty much all on the overlocker, but with the machine used judiciously to improve the finish and to do any topstitching.  I reckon that this pattern will continue to get use for years to come.