I tested the new sizing range for the Scout tee back in November last year and now it’s available for all over at Grainline’s website! This was a no-brainer for me as the Scout tee is one of my tried and tested woven tops and I’ve made several of them in the past. One thing I was never that happy with was my full bust adjustment on the original pattern. I adjusted the pattern quite early on in my sewing career and didn’t feel I’d quite got it right, although the resulting tees were not too bad. So when Grainline said they were releasing a new version in sizes 14-30 with a D cup bust, I was on it like a moth to a naked flame.

I’m sure you’ve seen the Scout tee plenty of times, but if not, it’s one of the best known indie patterns out there. It’s a boxy little woven tee that is the epitome of the phrase “wardrobe staple” and I wear mine all the time. It has a scoop neck and cap sleeves and is quite fitted at the bust, graduating to an easy fit at the waist and hips. The new extended version also has a dart to hug the D cup curves better and both versions have a bias-finished neckline.

So far, so straightforward. But how did the extended size shape up? I made the test version size 18 and, I’m delighted to say, it really fits me very well. I made the first from this really fun Cotton and Steel quilting cotton. Even though it’s quilting cotton, this is the highest quality fabric and is really soft and luscious for a quilting cotton, so I had no worries about using it.

The issue I always have in regular sizing is the fact that the size that fits my bust and waist is always way too big at the shoulder and armhole – and you need to get them right first for a good fit. This is where the whole garment hangs from. Using this pattern that is drafted for a D cup means I should get a better fit at the shoulder and, in fact, the fit was perfect on this top from the very beginning. I didn’t have to touch it!

The length was great and one thing I really appreciated was that the balance between the front and back was fabulous. That is, the hem remained level. Quite often, even in an extended size pattern, I find that some width has been added for the D cup, but not quite enough length, so the hem tilts upwards at the front. Not here! Straight as an arrow.

The only little change I had to make was to lower the angle of the dart very slightly and shorten it a bit as it reached my apex, rather than stopped short of it. One thing about using a quilting cotton for a boxy top is that from the side it can look rather…cuboid. As you can see above from the profile pic up there. I’ll probably mostly wear this top tucked in or with a French tuck as per the photo at the top, but I decided to make another version with a corrected dart in a different fabric to compare.

The second time I used a gorgeous Ellen Baker double gauze I had in my stash. I just love the navy blue and the metallic gold splatter effect. The dart is perfect in this top and it’s pretty, but I think the metallic component meant that it didn’t have as much softness as the average double gauze and so it behaves quite similarly to the quilting cotton in the end, haha!

The other thing I notice as well now is that, to my surprise (I took these first two sets of photos months ago so am seeing them with fresh eyes again) the dark blue shade really doesn’t suit me that well.

I’ve never really noticed before, but I did right away when I was writing this post, which led me to go back and scrutinise all my dark blue projects (and I make a lot of blue garments) and it really does NOT suit me. Huh. Other shades of blue seem to be okay (I think the octopus print hue looks fine, for example), but dark blue really washes me out. I’ve been taking some initial steps into figuring out my “colour palette” recently, so I guess something must be seeping into my brain for me to notice. It’s quite a revelation actually, as blue is one of my go-to colours.

Anyway, it’s not something I’m going to talk about in depth today, as I’m still casually investigating the idea, but stay tuned for a post sometime soon. Oh – and if you’ve done any palette-scrutinising and have tips, let me know in the comments! 🙂 I know Jasika Nicole has posted a lot of content on the subject and I’ve also done a bit of reading on the internet, but am still finding it tricky to pin down my own colour wheel. I guess my main aim is not so much to figure out which colours I “should” wear (I’ll wear whatever I like, dammit! Lol.) but more to figure out the colours that don’t look good on me.

I digress, so back to the Scout tee – and my final tee is one I made just a few days ago. I’d been hanging on to make this one, because I wanted to use one of the extra sleeve variations that you purchase as an add-on extra and they have just been released in sizes 14-30 as well. I’ve been wanting to make a top from this emerald green rayon for literally years now and the cuffed sleeve leapt out at me from the pattern page as the ideal option. And before I go any further – I know… it’s a SOLID. Wonders will never cease.

There are four sleeve variations – a regular tee sleeve (as opposed to the original cap sleeve), this cuffed version, a long sleeve and a petal sleeve (I drafted my own in a class before realising there was such a thing! Doh.). The construction of the cuffed sleeve is really nice and results in an actual cuff, rather than what is sometimes called cuffed, but is really a faux cuff that is sewn to look like an actual one. Confused yet? Ha.

I think it has really nice proportions and I love the Scout in this much drapier fabric. It feels so nice to wear and, as you can see, the hand of the fabric helps avoid the total Spongebob Squarepants cuboid look. The only thing I will complain about is that this particular rayon gets very wrinkly around the seamlines in the wash and is a bear to iron. And I HATE ironing. Don’t mind pressing, but ironing… yuck. Ah well.

So there you are! Three Scout tees in three different fabrics! I can really recommend the draft if you were waiting for this release. As I’ve said it really worked for me and I’m sure there will be plenty of the other testers posting their pics and opinions if you want further info – my lovely friend Melizza looks fabulous as the model on the Grainline website in her stunning purple Scout, just to name one.

Six Scouts and counting… WOW. Talk to you soon!