When I was passing the t-shirt section of the store, I stumbled across this great (Rolling Stones) graphic tee. I have plenty of t-shirts in my closet already, so I knew that I needed reconstruct this one into something unique so that I get the most use out of it… so I decided on a sleeveless Barbie.
While I’ve made this pattern before, I’ve never tried a sleeveless style (or reconstructing a t-shirt with this pattern). My first concern was if the tee would have enough stretch. Thankfully this wasn’t a “beefy” tee (which seem to have minimal give), but more of a soft style with a fair amount of elasticity. This meant that I didn’t need to size up to make this pattern work. Even though I had purchased an extra large shirt, I didn’t have enough material left over to use for the bands (neck and arms). Instead of using contrast banding colors, I opted to black to match the shirt base.
Construction of this one is always straightforward and came together very quickly. The fit is spot on in both the body and neck, but I found the armholes to be a bit too loose for my liking. I think part of this is because the bands are thick and how it lays on my body, but I think I can remedy this next time by shortening up the length of the bands some. The overall look is cute and edgy, but not perfect IMHO.