I have used this pattern twice before, but both times in a woven to make the shirt version.  This time around I sewed the sweatshirt option.  It was one of the garments I made during May ‘nojourn’ and one of my favourites.

The pattern is the Fantail Shirt and Sweatshirt, by The Sewing Revival. From the website:  A sister top to the Fantail Tank but with full length raglan sleeves. Easy to sew with a designer twist, the center front hem gather adds unique interest and the lowered back hem ensures the top is flattering around the derriere. A lovely line is created from the center front down along the hip and around the rear hem creating a “fantail”. The Fantail Shirt is a simple sew and the curved hem made easy with bias binding. This is a trans-seasonal top that can take you from smart casual to work. STYLE OPTIONS: Round neck and “V” neck in a SHIRT or SWEATSHIRT option. RECOMMENDED FABRIC: FANTAIL SHIRT: Designed for woven fabrics, we recommend cotton, rayon, viscose, polyester crepe and light weight linen. FANTAIL SWEATER: Sew with light to medium weight knits (jersey cotton, sweat shirting and merino wool).

I bought the fabric – a fairly lightweight knit which I think was a blend that may have included some silk – from The Cloth Shop, Ivanhoe, along with some Japanese rib that coordinated really nicely. I adore both the shapes of the spots and the colour.

I had sewn both the Medium and Large sizes in the past, and decided on the Medium again for the sweatshirt option. Many of the pattern pieces are the same, with simple variations in the length (and in the arm width) to accomodate the use of ribbing rather than more traditional hems. The sweatshirt version still has the elastic gathering in the front, with the curved back hemline.

Although wearable, the arms are longer than I’d prefer. I’ll possibly shorten them the next time I have cream thread in the overlocker. And I’ll make a mental note to shorten them on the pattern. The rib was beautiful to work with, with excellent recovery. Don’t use cheap rib!

I didn’t make any alterations to the pattern, and it’s pretty much fine as it is. Styles with plenty of ease like this certainly don’t highlight as many fitting issues as others can! The curved back hemline is a good shape on me, but I wonder if it would get a bit caught up on your backside if you have a bit more booty than I do.

I haven’t finished with this pattern. I’d like to sew another sweatshirt version at some stage, in a medium weight fabric. There is a lovely sleeveless verson of this shirt on the pattern website too. It’s quite straightforward to make, and I think that the central front elastic gives it a stylish touch that I imagine would work nicely on lots of shapes.