Key Largo Top vs. Scout Tee

Last week I made muslins of two very popular woven tee patterns, and after having quite a few people interested in a comparison post — here it is! In this post I’m going to be comparing the Scout Tee by Grainline Studio and the Key Largo Top by Hey June. I thought about doing a ‘pros and cons’ list of each, but decided that cons to some, might be pros to others! I’m just going to go through the different parts of the patterns and explain why they are different, and hopefully at the end you will have a better understanding of which one you would like better.

For size reference, I made a size 10 in the Key Largo, and size 12 in the Scout Tee. I was actually the size 10 in the Scout Tee, but already had the pattern cut out and was a little bit lazy. All of the photos taken in front of the rose bush are of the Key Largo, and the photos taken on the sidewalk are of the Scout Tee.

NECKLINE
The scoop on these two patterns is so close, it’s crazy, but the only difference is that the Scout Tee is 1/4 inch wider, and 1 inch lower. I am a little bit more conservative, so the Key Largo’s neckline is more my comfort level, and I personally LOVE it.

SLEEVES
The Scout Tee sleeves are normally cap sleeves, but for mine I added an inch and straightened out the hemline so that it was similar to the Key Largo sleeves. The curve of the armscye on the Scout Tee sleeve is much more gradual and is about 5/8 wider than the Key Largo sleeve. I personally liked the fit of the Key Largo sleeves better, since they aren’t as wide.

SIDE SEAMS AND LENGTH
The Key Largo is basically a square that curves in a little bit at the waistline, and the Scout Tee is angled ever so slightly from the underarm down to the hemline (like a swing dress, but MUCH less angled). I personally liked the Scout Tee side seams because the angle prevents too much fabric from draping under my arm, and it’s much more slimming.

The Key largo length is shorter than the Scout Tee. I lengthened the Scout Tee by 2 inches, and the Key Largo by 1.5 inches. Both patterns are a little bit longer in the back than the front, which I think is nice. If you are making the Key Largo and you have a long torso, you may want to add more length than you usually do for woven tees. I will probably add about 3 inches (instead of 1.5) the next time I make it.

INSTRUCTIONS
Both have very beautiful and clear instructions. The Key Largo’s construction is more beginner friendly because it’s easier and has a few beginner tips. The Scout Tee has a set-in sleeve, but with the Key Largo you sew the sleeves on before sewing down the side seams (which method I prefer, since it’s easier).

The neckline instructions are both different, but I wouldn’t say one is better than the other. The necklines for both of mine are beautiful, and in the future I will probably just do whichever neckline is shown in the pattern instructions. One thing I learned about necklines from the Key Largo pattern is that you should steam iron your neckline really well while you’re constructing it and after you’re finished to get it to lay flat and look better.

OTHER
The only other difference between the two is that the Key Largo has a couple more options on how to make it. The Key Largo is meant to be cut on the bias and has a front center seam. It also has pattern pieces and instructions for adding front ties. For this project I cut the fabric on a straight grain and omitted the center front seam.

One mistake I did make in the Key Largo Top was forgetting to take out a 1/2 inch of the front center seam, so it’s an inch wider in the front than it should be. I think if I hadn’t made that mistake it would lay a little bit better in the front.

Overall, they are both really great patterns, it just depends on what you like your woven tee patterns to look and fit like. I am working on a Valentines project right now and plan on mashing up the two patterns since there are parts of both patterns that I like. I will make sure to explain the adjustments I make to fit my preferences in that post.

I hope that if you were on the fence about which pattern to purchase, or if you have one and you were wondering if you should buy the other, that this post helped! The fabric I used for both shirts is a rayon challis.

Did I forget anything? Is there one pattern you prefer over the other? If you have any questions after reading this, please let me know and I would be happy to answer them!