not long ago jen over at grainline studio posted a tutorial on how to make the ever-popular scout tee with longer sleeves. i had just bought a nice cut of silk specifically for a scout tee, so i decided to give it a try. turns out, it’s pretty easy to do!
so yeah, silk! this is the second blouse i’ve made in the last few weeks in silk, but i’m posting this one first because it’s a simpler design and i thought people might be curious about the longer sleeve adaptation. i don’t know if this is a particular type of silk, it’s er… silky, smooth, and appears to have a plain weave (as opposed to a crepe de chine, which is more textured—that is the limit of my knowledge of silks). since my first attempt at using silk went so well i was pretty confident to cut into this. to pretreat my fabric, i washed it on cold on the hand wash cycle, then line dried. it dries in about two seconds, so that’s pretty cool.
i made my sleeve to have about a 12″ finished length from underarm to hem. the width of the sleeve hem is 12 1/2″ which i lightly gathered onto a 10 3/8″ long cuff/binding (i wrapped a measuring tape around my arm to determine how big i needed the cuff). the only thing i did differently than jen’s tutorial was to swoop the hemline up at the underarm seam by 1/2″ to keep it from being super slanty on my arm. the longest part of the “swoop” should be about 1/3 of the way in from the back underarm seam.
the last time i made a scout tee i changed it up to have a yoke and a swingy back. this time around i left everything per the pattern (shocking!). i made a size 4 at bust, graded out to a 6, then slashed and spread to get the hemline out to a 10 (front and back pieces).
and i dropped the back hem by 1″ cuz i like-a-de bum coverage.
from my first scout i knew i needed to remove some excess at the bust so i made an SBA and removed 1″ from the front, like so:
i am thrilled with how this came out! the fit is basically perfect, and i love the sleeve length. since my fabric is more winter-y in color (the background color is dark navy), having sleeves was a no-brainer. and wow, i am totally team silk now. as much as i love rayons for their drape and fun prints, the wrinkle factor drives me mad! i picked up this silk for $12.99/yd at fabric basement (local). what a steal!
i usually don’t bother looking at the silks. in fact i was by the rayons when i touched this bolt of fabric, looked at the content/price, then clutched it with my dear life! the cutting lady said the fabric was bolted (instead of on rolls) by mistake. had it been with the silks i never would have laid eyes on it. you can bet i’ll be perusing the silk section from now on.
—lisa g.
p.s. i’m working on organizing my blog a little better. if you are interested in my past makes, up above there is a “what i’ve made” page. there i have, in order, everything i have made this year, and links to the blog post. i planned to do the same for last year’s makes, but since i had switched my blog from blogger to WP, all my old pics are a jumble and nearly impossible to track down. also, i’m trying to make better use of my categories and tags. i’m working my way through all my posts (fortunately it’s super easy to do in WP) and hopefully within a few weeks i’ll have it better organized!
Beautiful top! Looks like a boutique find and is a great Christmas garment!
thank you! i thought it looked pretty festive too and wore it for thanksgiving!
A complete success! Plus, I love the way you style it, silk top with jeans and boots. Cool.
thanks!
Love, love, love! You were right to cling onto this fabric! What color are the dots? Are they pale pink like they look in the last picture?
Thanks too for showing your slash-and-spread at the back. I always do it cheap and dirty at the side seams, but will try this out next time.
thanks, Gail! so glad i stumbled on this fabric! the fabric is navy with green and white dots.
i used to do the side seam thing, but lately i’ve been making myself slash and spread. if i’m grading to more extremes (which, let’s face it, is what i usually need…) the slash and spread feels more “right.” it also ensures that your side seams will match up.
Beautiful top! I love simple silk tops, and this one is just perfect. The print is amazing, I’m so glad it came into your hands!
thank you! i’m trying to make silk an everyday wearable fabric for me!
I love it! I just bought Jenns pattern this weekend and can’t wait to sew it! I love the longer sleeves and the silk is dreamy!
thanks! it’s such an easy quick sew, and since the required yardage is small, it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to make it in a nice fabric. you’ll love the scout!
This is gorgeous! It’s a perfect fall/winter adaptation of the Scout tee! Silk is one of the reasons I love to sew– you can make a top for $12-15, but you could never buy a 100% silk top for anything near that price!
thank you! and you are not even kidding… i’ve been eyeing all the silk tops at anthropologie and the like, and those blouses are well over $100! i’ll make my own, thankyouverymuch.
I an a recent scout convert. I like what you have done with the sleeves and love the silk!
thank you… scout tees for everyone!
Love the colour! A Scout tee in silk is definitely something I want to try after seeing your version.
for me, the scout tee is perfect for improving my silk skills. little time and little money involved!
Ooh, this is a lovely blouse! I have some pink silk sitting in my stash that may have to become a long-sleeves Scout. After I muslin it, of course 🙂
thank you! scout and silk are a perfect combo!
Your Scout is just perfect! Nice job with the silk – it drapes so luxuriously. How serendipitous that you stumbled on it!
thanks, i’m so glad i stumbled upon it as well!
I love this! I pinned Jen’s tutorial, but haven’t tried it yet. I love the variation that you’ve done with the hemline. Thank you for including the construction details – I always learn something from your blog posts. Must go in search of silk now!
thanks! i hope you give it a try, it was very easy to do! glad my posts are helpful 🙂
Thanks for posting the picture of your SBA. I need to do one on the Scout Tee, but had no idea where to start!
glad that was helpful!
Beautiful Scout. The addition of the longer sleeve has made this a very versatile pattern. You have really perfected the fit. Just lovely.
thank you, i’m so glad i could adapt it for the cooler months!
Ooh it’s lovely! And floaty! And looking at your makes page is making me amazed at your sewing prolificacy. A great way of being able to see everything, for sure 🙂
thanks! i feel like i’ve hardly sewn anything lately, but seeing it all compiled does make me feel better! not to mention there are several unblogged items as well…
I lalalalalalove it! Totally looks like an Anthro top at a fraction of the price. It just looks really pretty on you, glad you happened upon that silk 🙂 The Scout pattern can be made up in just about any fabric I think!
thanks kelly! it’s one of those tops that looks a million times better on a person than on a hangar.
Lisa this is gorgeous! Scout is such an awesome pattern, one of my all-time favorites, so versatile. I love this hack and it looks beautiful on you. Mmmmmm silk….
thanks, i want all my scout tees to be in silk now. i’ll be coming back to this pattern over and over again–it’s such a simple top, but so awesome!
I love this so, so much. Love the way you gathered the sleeves in to a cuff. I want one!
thanks hun! i think i could have a hundred scout tees and never tire of them. you made so many awesome short sleeved scouts, you definitely need a longer sleeve version! 🙂
Beautiful top! I am still very intimidated by silk!
thank you! i’m still not totally comfortable with the silk, but i figure that’s as good an excuse as any to buy more… 😉