I predicted that Lola and I were going to be best friends, and we’re definitely off to a good start with more to come…  Hint:  I’ve just finished making a Lola Dress!

For my second Lola, I used some viscose jersey from Tessuti.  I originally the purchased the fabric six months ago to make a dress for Miss B, but it just seemed perfect for this pattern.  The fabric has great drape and the navy background with tiny white hearts works well with my existing wardrobe.  Sometimes it’s nice to have a change from stripes.  That being said, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of stripes.

My standard jersey neckline these days goes something like this:

• Measure the neckline opening and create a piece of binding (usually in self fabric) that 1.5″ wide and 2-3″ shorter than the opening
• Sew the shorter side of the binding together (right sides together) and press the seam allowance open
• Press the binding in half (long edges) with wrong sides together
• Divide both the binding and the neckline opening into quarters and pin the raw edge of the binding to the raw edge of the neck opening (right sides together) using the ‘quarter pins’ as a guide
• Overlock the binding to the neckline, stretching the binding (not the neckline) a little as you go.  Hint:  I find it helpful to use fine fusible stay tape on the neckline to stop it accidentally stretching out.
• From the wrong side of your tee, iron the overlocked edge away from the binding
• Use a twin needle to topstitch the neckline – one needle is on the binding side, the other on the tee

Let me know if you’d like some photos to go with these instructions or head over to Jorth’s neckline binding tutorial as it’s very similar.

My first Lola was a little tight in the bust, so for this version I made a small and graded out to a medium in the bust.  There is some excess fabric around my armpits, but I’ve decided to ‘live with it’ as I expect it allows my arms to have a full range of movement!  Having perfectionist tendencies, I’m prone to wanting to overfit items, so I’m trying to be a bit more relax about small amounts of excess fabric!

Pattern:  Tessuti’s Lola Tee
Size:  S graded to a M at the bust
Fabric:  Viscose jersey from Tessuti
Alterations:  I shortened the tee at the hem by 3 inches.

Hello Melbourne skyline!

Thanks to my lovely friend Sharon for taking these photos…  and the photos of my Lola Dress.  I’ll be back with that tomorrow!