I am thrilled to share that the Rowan Tee is now available in teen sizes. Find the pattern here in the Titchy Threads shop. This size range has been in development for a long time. The first Rowan Tee was released seven years ago, and I’m still excited to see all of the versions you sew at home. Now you can continue sewing them as your children get older. The photo above by @sammieseams shows her two children wearing matching t-shirts – the younger one is wearing the children’s size and the older is in the teen size.
PATTERN OPTIONS
The teen version has all of the same pattern views as the children’s pattern. You can rely on the pattern for a great basic t-shirt or use a variety of the different options to sew something special.
Of course you don’t have to stick to the views as shown below, as you can mix and match the different options. Lakeisha from Sincerely Shantelle sewed this beautiful floral t-shirt. It has most of the options from view A but switches the regular hem on the sleeves for the short sleeve cuffs.
Sharon made a stunning hooded version, similar to view C but with the cuffed hemband. I absolutely love with the colour combination on this one. You can find all the amazing outfits she sews for her five year old at @just_jacob_b
There are many other ways to mix up the options, and you can add your own twist with some additional colour blocking. When you’re ready to sew one of the teen sizes, those of you familiar with the children’s pattern will notice that there are some differences to the pattern pieces. I’ll give more details on that later in this post. The finished look is still the same but these differences improve the fit for older children.
TEEN SIZE CHART
When I set out to create the teen size chart my aim was to make it easy for you to sew for different body types. The result is three different width fittings, which reduces the need to blend sizes. It includes seven different heights from 140cm (4′ 7″) to 176cm (5′ 9″), and for each height there is a choice of three different widths. You’ll be able to see examples of a range of the different sizes in an upcoming tester roundup. All of the sizes in the size chart are named after trees.
I include guidance in the tutorial on how to pick the best size for the measurements. As you can see, the pattern covers a chest measurement from 67cm (26.50″) up to 102cm (40.25″). This means it will work for many younger children and also smaller adults. The images below shows my younger son wearing the smallest size in size group A, the Rowan size of the Rowan Tee. This is view A of the pattern.
Karen from @after8creations also made view A but in the Elm size, which is the largest size in size group C. I really need a t-shirt in this shade of blue.
My older son is wearing Larch width with Juniper length. With my children’s size chart, I would need to combine the width from one size and length from five or six sizes bigger. This is view B from the pattern, without any changes.
With size group A, I still need to combine sizes for him but it’s easier because there’s a smaller gap. Hopefully many of you will find this helpful too. Some of you may also find you no longer need to blend sizes, when you’ve always had to before.
PATTERN PIECES
As I mentioned above, there are some differences to the pattern pieces compared to the children’s pattern. The main differences you’ll see are:
- The front and back are different in the armscye and at the shoulder (not just at the neckline, as it is for the children’s one). To make it clear as you are sewing, the front uses a single notch, while the back has double notches.
- The sleeve is not on the fold, the front and back are different. This also has a single notch for the front and a double notch for the back.
- The long sleeve cuff is wider than in the children’s pattern.
- For both the long and short sleeve cuffs, the notch isn’t central, there is a front and a back.
- There are two options for the neckline – one for ribbing with at least 75% stretch, and one for jersey with around 30% stretch.
- The finished neckband is slightly wider.
- The shoulder and full arm stripes are wider than on the children’s version.
- If you are using the kangaroo pocket combined with a cuffed hem, the instructions now say not to fold up the bottom edge of the pocket, and instead of sew it into the hemband.
WHAT DOES THE PATTERN INCLUDE?
The pattern is in PDF format. When you purchase the pattern you will find the tutorial file available in your downloads area and three different zip files for the pattern pieces. There is a zip file for each of the size groups, and each one includes:
- Print at Home File (for A4/Letter size paper)
- Copy Shop File (2 sheets of A0)
- Projector File
All of the pattern piece files include layers. You can find more information on using projectors for sewing in my previous blog posts here and here.
The tutorial has lots of information on printing (or projecting) the pattern, choosing the correct size, instructions for possible adjustments and fabric requirements. The detailed sewing instructions include digital illustrations and take you step by step through all the different stages of the pattern. There is also a ‘Cheat Sheet’ at the back, for anyone who wants brief instructions.
I’ll be sharing another post soon with all of the wonderful versions my testers made.
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