Waves and Wild have two raglan style tops in their collection – the Adventure Raglan jumper and the Explorer Raglan t-shirt. I use both of these patterns a lot; not only are they really easy to sew, but they’re ideal for both day and night wear. They’re also ideal for unisex sews, which is what I make a lot of for my Etsy store. For this review, I’ve made the long sleeved Explorer Raglan t-shirt in age 2-3 years.
What I Loved
- The new Waves and Wild patterns are trimless and very easy to put together.
- The instructions are really clear and easy to follow. A diagram is included for each step.
- Layers are available in the PDF file so you only need to print your size. A size chart is also included to help you determine this.
- The Waves and Wild version of this pattern comes with a print at home copy, an A0 copy for copy-shop printing, and a projector pattern.
- The pattern comes with four different sleeve options – short, three-quarter, long, and retro rolled.
- There’s an option to add colour blocking to the body of the tee.
- There are pattern pieces and instructions that enable you to add snaps to the neckline of the tee if required – ideal for the baby sizes.
- There are two hem options – curved and straight.
- While an overlocker creates a professional finish, this pattern can be made using just a sewing machine.
- It’s incredibly simple and fast to sew. So fast, in fact, that I pretty much only use this pattern now when making pyjamas.
What Wasn’t So Great
- I wish the neckband could be made with cotton lycra instead of ribbing – it would make it a lot quicker to sew, and I like the matching look too.
Pattern Tips
- Make sure you line the sleeves up correctly before sewing. The front and the back pieces look very similar and it’s easy to sew the sleeves on backwards if you’re not careful.
Final Verdict
I highly recommend the Waves and Wild Explorer Raglan pattern for both boys and girls. It’s super versatile and really easy to sew as well. Like I mentioned above, I often use this pattern when making pyjama tops, but my daughter also has a couple of three quarter length tees for day wear too. Plus, if you struggle with sewing traditional sleeves (which can be fiddly for a beginner), you’ll love the raglan style as you merely need to sew straight lines.
The Waves and Wild Explorer Raglan pattern advises using a light to medium weight stretch fabric such as cotton jersey. Ribbing is required for the neckband The PDF can be purchased from the Waves and Wild website for AUD $12.00 and is available in sizes premature to age 12.
