After the success of the Essential Coverall, I was super eager to try another pattern from Brindille & Twig. My sewing buddy Kirsty purchased the Flutter Sleeve Tee so of course I had to get in on the action. It’s a much simpler pattern than the Essential Coverall yet it looks really effective when complete. The ruffles add a really cute edge to the tee and give it that little something special. I’ve made two versions of this now – the one pictured using gorgeous Lillestoff fabric, and a plain black version that I’m going to match with some black and white leggings when the fabric arrives.
What I Loved
- The PDF pattern is seamless and really easy to stick together.
- The instructions were really good. Aside from not really knowing how to gather the flutters (more on that below), everything else was easy to understand.
- This pattern comes with three different sleeve options – short, three quarter, and long making it a wardrobe staple that can be made and worn all year around.
- It doesn’t require much fabric to make so is a great scrap buster.
- The end product is really cute. It’s just as effective with plain fabric as it is with patterned.
What Wasn’t So Great
- When I printed off the pattern, size layers weren’t available. For much of the cutting out this was fine, but there were a couple of areas where all the lines blended into one making it difficult to know where to cut. The pattern was literally updated the night after I bought it so it’s worth making sure you have the more up to date version if this sort of thing bothers you.
- The pattern didn’t tell you how to gather fabric. I’d never done this before so ended up Googling and found a great YouTube video by Made Everyday. You can find it here.
Tips for Next Time
- I’m not sure there’s anything I’d do differently to what the pattern instructions state. I do need to practice some more on gathering fabric evenly.
- Oh – I guess make sure the flutter pattern pieces are the right way around when cutting out… (not that I had to redo them on the first go or anything…)
Final Verdict
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this pattern. It basically takes a pretty basic long sleeved tee and turns it into something really special. I’ll definitely make more of these for my daughter, and think it will be something that I’ll make for years to come as well.
The Flutter Sleeve Tee can be made in sizes newborn to 6T and requires medium weight jersey, and ribbing for the neckband. The PDF version of the Brindille & Twig Flutter Sleeve Tee can be purchased from their website for $7.50.
