Rio Ringer T-Shirt // Pattern Testing // Sewing For Women

Rio Ringer T-Shirt // Pattern Testing // Sewing For Women

• Thursday, April 16, 2020

Hi friends!! I has been such a long, long time since I've popped on the blog! What a crazy time 2020 has been, wow. But my family, and myself are all healthy and doing well, so nothing real to complain about here!

I lost my sew-jo sometime around the beginning of the year, and even though I really didn't stop sewing altogether, things definitely slowed down. I can feel it returning now, and I'm just giddy about it. Lol.

So, having said that, I'm super excited to share the brand new Rio Ringer T-Shirt pattern by True Bias with you today!

I was a tester for this pattern, and I sewed a test version for myself and my three kiddos, as well! I'll have a post all about their shirts as well, coming very soon.

This pattern includes a dress view in both the women's and the kid's version, and includes two size ranges for women (spanning all sizes from 0-30). The children's size range is from 2T - 10.

With the return of my sew-jo, and having sewn 4 versions of this pattern earlier this year, I cranked this baby out in a matter of a few hours. From printing the pattern, to hemming the shirt. But even with all of that, this is a simple t-shirt pattern and very doable in that time-span! The binding method is the most time-consuming part, but it's easy to understand, and there will be a sew-along on the True Bias blog coming next week for even more support.

The pattern is also on sale through this Sunday, April 19th, using code RIOLAUNCH. Read all the details about the sale on this post HERE!

So let's talk more about the part I love the most. Fitting and sewing!

My body measurements (B:36, W:29.5, H:37.5), put me firmly in a size 8. I used a cotton spandex fabric for my test version and sewed a straight size 8. I believe the fit outcome was largely due to the lack of drape in my fabric, but I ended up with a shirt that was way too snug and bodycon for my comfort.

Both in actual comfort and how I felt looking at it in the mirror. I also found the sleeves to be very uncomfortably tight. I feel it's fair to point out that tightness in fitted t-shirts is a common occurrence for me. The sleeve was also altered a bit in the final version to address this fit issue. A straight size 8 sleeve would still be too small for my arms, but the fit was adjusted to have more ease.

Since I knew I would really love this shirt if I got the fit how I wanted, I did not give up! Using the final version of the pattern, and a different fabric type, I made some fit alterations.

First of all, the fabric is a piece from my stash that I bought from Imagine Gnats. I don't remember the exact fabric content, but I believe it to be a tri-blend, or possibly a cotton/poly blend. It has good stretch and excellent drape. This definitely helped in the fit of the tee, so in my opinion, unless you are looking for a much more fitted silhouette, I would choose a fabric with more drape than cotton/spandex (at least for the women's version, it works great for the kid's version, as you'll see 😉).

My preference for tees is to have a bit more ease than how the pattern is drafted, so I decided to size up on this version. I sized up to a 10, graded to a 12 in the waist, hips, and sleeve hem. I should probably have done a true full-bicep adjustment for proper fitting, but it really worked out great this way, and I'm very happy with the outcome. 😊

I made none of my typical length adjustments, and just sewed the pattern as-is in that regard and I'm so very happy with how this shirt turned out!! I could see taking 1/2" - 1" of length off of the hem for wearing with high-waisted bottoms, but either way is good, I think!

I really love the vintage vibe of this tee, and it's really fun picking out fun fabrics and contrasting or coordinating ribbing to go with it.

Having sorted out my size adjustments, I'm super happy to have this pattern in my stash! One can never have too many t-shirt options in my opinion, and I love how this offers a fairly different look than many other t-shirt patterns available in the indie pattern circle. I would recommend giving it a go, for sure!

Happy Sewing, friends!!

I hope we will chat again sooner than the last time! 💕

PS. I do hang out on Instagram all the time, and share much more of my sewing there, so really, let's hang out there as well, if we don't already! 😉

PPS. The body of the post contains no affiliate links. I will fully disclose the information if affiliate links are used. 💗 If you would like to shop similar items to what I'm wearing, you can shop via the photos below. I will make a small commission if you make a purchase using my links. Thank you for your support!