Surprise! Didn’t think you’d hear from me again so soon did ya? It’s Jillayne from Hazelnut Handmade and last week I shared with you how I dress up my jeans for those rare times when I need to look nice. Or at least put together. Today I’m sharing how I use the same Rivage Raglan (aff) pattern as a basic in my everyday casual wardrobe.
Like I mentioned last week, I wear jeans almost every day unless I’m exercising or sleeping. Casual comfortable clothes are my everyday ‘bread and butter’. Raglans are some of my favorite tops to wear because they are easy to sew and I don’t fixate on my shoulders when I wear them. And the Rivage Raglan has a great relaxed fit. If I didn’t live in Florida, I’d be making all the cozy sweaters with this pattern. Not gonna lie, I have a bit of fall envy for those of you who get 4 seasons.
But, the relaxed fit of this Rivage Raglan is also great for warm weather. It is loose so I don’t spend any brain power on my midsection and I can get occasional breezes, but it doesn’t require lots of drape. I chose to hem the sleeves instead of band them to allow the air to cool me off better.
Both of my fabrics in this shirt are cotton/lycra, which is my favorite knit to sew with. It’s easy to sew, comes in lots of colors and prints (like this simple triangle print), wears and washes well! Cute, comfy, and low maintenance. It’s a triple win!
Because my bust is smaller than that the pattern is drafter for, I made a rather large small bust adjustment to the front bodice piece. I followed the SBA instructions in the pattern and feel pretty good about how it turned out. I added about 3 inches of length to my front bodice piece to compensate for the length lost during the SBA. But then I cut off 1.5 inches from the entire shirt length because I’m 5’4” and my torso is proportionately short. While I like long shirts, this felt a bit too long for me straight out of the pattern. However, if leggings are your thing, the Rivage Raglan’s high low hem will help you get great booty coverage without feeling like you are wearing a dress. (Although a dress is also an option included in the pattern!)
Most of my shirts have simple silhouettes so they are great for showing off prints. I’m generally pretty basic in my fashion choices, so fabric prints are where I add most of the fun my clothes. But now I’m really digging the classic baseball tee look so I think my next Rivage Raglan is going to have to be all solids. I’ll be reaching for this pattern again and again in the years to come!
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