Body Twist Tee Reworked

This is where it all started…  The Off-the-shoulder Twist Top from so many years ago.  This design was originally inspired by one of the dutch designers in a mens silk knit tee.  It has graduated from a mens tee to an off-the-shoulder model to finally a boat neck tee style.  It’s this final version that I’m now preparing as an online PDF sewing pattern to add to the website.  Make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter so you’re the first to hear about the pattern release.  You’ll find the sign in box in the footer of my web pages.

The basic principle of this idea is a double length tube of knit fabric, folded up and worked with a quarter or half body twist before shoulders and necklines match back together ready for the final stages of sewing.

My off-the-shoulder pattern was a half body twist and the new pattern for the Body Twist Tee will be a quarter body twist.  The difference between the two is that the half body twist is a close body-hugging fit and the quarter body twist is a softer construction.

My first test sample was made with a rayon knit (below) of light-weight construction and very stretchy to sew.  I was at least able to establish that the pattern worked as I expected.

For the next sample I used a nylon/elastane stretch mesh in a dark oriental print.  The more stable fabric was much easier to sew and performed well with this design.  To maintain the same fabric appearance in the sleeve it is cut double with the fold on the hem line.

You can see on the workroom dummy below that the quarter twist in this tee shirt pattern is gentle and flattering.  Both the body and sleeve of the top are double layered cloth.  That means you can use a very light weight stretch knot for this design.

As a final touch I used a stripe ribbing for the neck line to add a sporty feel to this twist top.  In the image below I have paired it with a double knit version of my Japan Skirt sewing pattern.

If you’re keen to make your own pattern of this design then use my blog post:  Off-the-shoulder Twist Top and you’ll need a knit block to start the pattern making process.  If you’d like to share your progress you can join me and other keen pattern makers in my Facebook group: STUDIO FARO MAKERS.