I finished updating my favorite t-shirt patterns blog post and realized that I had left out a few patterns that I really love. So, here I am again with a little a little bit of a different favorites list.
I love that drop shoulder sleeves provide a looser fit and aren’t so tight around the underarm area. Drop shoulder sleeves are also a really popular design for knitted sweaters. I tend to overheat easily, so instead of a warm knitted sweater, I like when this style is applied to t-shirts. These are my favorite t-shirts to wear when I just want to wear something loose and comfortable, and I have a few on heavy rotation in my closet. So, here are a few patterns that I’ve made multiple times and really love.
ASTAIR TEE by FRENCH NAVY
Sizes beween: 32-43.4″ bust + 34-45.3″ hip
The Astair Tee by French Navy has been my favorite since the day it was released. I don’t actually make it the way the pattern shows, but it’s a really good base for what I want a good tee to look like. I’ve made the pattern 5 times now, and I wear all 5 of them a lot. There is one very small adjustment I make to the shoulder length (which I did to the black shirt, and the pink striped shirt), and you can read about it in this blog post. I also saw a few RTW shirts that had a similar design, and they rolled the sleeves, so that’s what I did for the black and gray version.
The thing I love about French Navy patterns is that there is always a pattern piece and instructions for doing a neckband reinforcement. I’m certainly not pro at it, and I’ve done it a lot by now, but it’s a beautiful detail. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, you can see it better in this photo that I posted on Instagram.
Here are blog posts that talk about this pattern:
The Astair Tee
Maternity Capsule Wardrobe
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SANTA FE TOP by HEY JUNE
Sizes between: 32-46.5″ bust + 34-46″ hip
The Santa Fe Top by Hey June is a really fun swing top (technically a dolman sleeve), which you can see really well on the striped version. My favorite detail of the pattern is the neck binding. If you zoom in, you can see that I did the neck binding on the striped and gray versions. For the gray and purple versions, I actually straightened the side seams, because I was trying to get the look of a RTW tee that I own. You can see how close I got on recreating the RTW tee in this blog post. I also managed to make it into the most amazingly comfortable house dress that is also nursing friendly!
Another detail that I really love is the cuffed sleeves. I tend to stick to my really basic styles and really use this pattern to achieve the look I’m going for, but this pattern has some other views/options that are really worth checking out. Even just out of the versions I’ve made, you can see that this is a great base pattern to have.
Here are blog posts that talk about this pattern:
Santa Fe – Boxy Top
Nursing Friendly House Dress
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MONROE TURTLENECK by TESSUTI (Free pattern)
Sizes between: 31.8-43.7″ bust + 35.8-47.6″ hip
In case you didn’t know — The Monroe Turtleneck and the Mandy Boat Tee by Tessuti are the exact same pattern, but with different necklines. They are also both FREE! I personally like the Monroe because it’s easier to adjust the neckline. I actually haven’t made the turtleneck version yet, but I have made the pattern multiple times with different necklines.
The very first photos of the gray top are actually the Mandy Boat Tee, and I tried bringing the neckline in. I had very bad luck with the sleeves being too tight, but luckily I had a lot of the fabric and was able try again. You can read about the adjustments I made and still use when I make this pattern in this blog post. I still wear this one, but usually when it’s really cold, and I’ll wear a long sleeve under it, because the fabric is a slightly itchy wool blend.
When the Monroe Turtleneck was released, it made adjusting the neckline much easier, so that is the only one I use now. On the striped version, I used the Panama Tee neckline and decided to try doing a shortened long sleeve. I wear this shirt almost weekly, and that is why I made another one in pink! I actually just finished the pink one and used the neckline from the Hemlock Tee by Grainline (also free if you subscribe to their newsletter).
I really love this pattern and it’s very popular in the sewing community!
Here are blog posts that talk about this pattern:
Mandy Boat Tee
Stripes and Basics
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TABOR V-NECK by SEW HOUSE SEVEN
Sizes between: 31-47″ bust + 34-50″ hip
The Tabor V-Neck by Sew House 7 is such a comfortable and cute top. I made these two versions a couple of years go, and I wear them all the time! I actually enjoyed sewing the maroon colored one so much, that when I was finished, I made one for my sister and another for my friend because I had a bunch of the fabric left over. I love that the pattern has 3 different v-neck variations and different sleeve options.
I have seen a few people try to make this top out of sweater knits and it doesn’t end up working very well. So make sure you read the pattern description before you decide on fabric. I will personally be sticking to t-shirt fabrics when I make this pattern.
Here are blog posts that talk about this pattern:
Style Maker Fabrics – Fall Style Tour 2019
I hope these suggestions were helpful. Many of these are made in my favorite types of fabrics for t-shirts, and you can read all about them in this blog post.
If you have any questions, please let me know. Do you have any drop shoulder patterns that you love?
Happy t-shirt sewing!