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Montlake Tee Testers

Montlake Tee tester roundup is here and it is the best part of every pattern release.  These ladies took my pattern and made it better than it was before.  Having the ability to bounce ideas off of other sewists and get feedback that improves the pattern is invaluable.

Give these ladies some love, they deserve it.


Amy sewed up the scoop neck in a yoga print double brushed poly and a hemp cotton blend striped jersey v-neck.  Both versions turned out so great!

Annette sewed the v-neck in a cotton knit and elbow sleeves.  This is the most perfect everyday outfit and the fit is spot on.

Montlake Tee Re-Release

Nearly 4 years ago I released my Montlake tee pattern and I was so incredibly proud of the pattern I created, I still am because my testers and I worked really hard to get the fit just right.  I loved everything about the pattern, it was everything I want in a tee and I just knew others would feel the same way.  I was really proud of the size range I had, not many indie pattern companies at the time spanned 0-24.  But as we all know things change and  I began to realize about a year ago that my pattern was not nearly as inclusive as I thought, mainly because I was near the top of my own pattern at the hips.  And if I was pushing the top of my size range, then there were many women who would never get the chance to sew my patterns, and I am not okay with that.

Montlake Sewing Workshop with Spoonflower

Other than a good pattern, fabric is pretty much the most important part of any sewing project.  The biggest question I get from my students before every sewing workshop is what kind of fabric they should get for the class, it can be so overwhelming when looking at all of your options.  So I decided to take the work out of guessing and partner with Spoonflower for my next sewing workshop  to give all the students fantastic fabric to make their first Montlake Tee.

Me Made May ’17: Week 2

Week 2 recap of Me Made May is finally here.  It has been a strange few weeks for my business which I will be sharing more about tomorrow on the blog, but I really wanted to recap every week since I am really learning so much about my clothes choices this month.

If you didn’t get a chance to read my recap from the first week of this years Me Made May you can read it here.  

Montlake Tee into a Tunic

Montlake Tee into a Tunic

Many times it is hard to look at a pattern and envision how you could modify it to get a different look.  This is especially true for those sewists who consider themselves beginners, heck even I struggle with modifying patterns sometimes.

Today I am going to show you how I made the Montlake tee into a tunic with just a couple easy steps, to save you from having to try and figure it out.

This is the first of many modifications I have planned over the next few weeks to help you see that Montlake is so much more than just a simple tee.

Montlake Tester Roundup

My favourite part of releasing a new pattern is sharing with everyone what my testers sewed up, and the ladies that I worked with this round were amazing.  You know you have struck gold with testers when they are equal parts constructive and encouraging.  Testing is such a collaborative effort for me so I truly value all of them and the impact they have had on the final Montlake pattern.  Enjoy the Montlake Tester Roundup!

Heidi of Handmade Frenzy used a fabric that has been in her stash waiting for the perfect project.  I love the white with the subtle texture.  Read all about here version here.

Choosing Fabric for the Montlake Tee Sewing Pattern

Montlake Tee Fabric Options

Choosing fabric for a pattern is my favourite part of sewing.  I love walking the aisles of a fabric store feeling and stretching the fabrics to see how they will behave with the pattern.  When designing my new pattern, Montlake I realized very quickly that depending on the fabric chosen the final tee would have a different look.  The more stretch in a fabric leads to a deeper scoop neck and relaxed fit.  For those fabrics that have only slight stretch it is a more fitted tee.  All the looks are great, it’s just a matter of what kind of mood you are in when sewing up your Montlake.

Montlake Tee Pattern

After what feels like a marathon of pattern testing with the greatest bunch of ladies around I am happy to be here today sharing my newest sewing pattern with all of you, Montlake.

Montlake Sewing Pattern by Straight Stitch Designs

This tee is everything you would want out of a new closet staple.  With clean lines and a great shape you can view it as a blank canvas to play around with different knits.  One of my testers couldn’t have put it better when she described this pattern to me, simple fashion.  Sometimes we just need some simple fashion in our lives and the Montlake tee is that.