the sew weekly “mother’s day”: the “221B betty” top (renfrew)

The Facts:

Fabric: “sherlock” themed t-shirt from redbubble.com
Pattern: sewaholic 1201, renfrew
Year: 2012
Notions: none
Time to Complete: 1 hours
First Worn: May 4, 2012
Wear Again: yes, yes, yes!!
Total Price: ~$30
Challenge Theme:  “Mother’s Day”

another challenge that i had a different plan for until i stumbled upon a great photo ripe for a renfrew.  i had originally wanted to do my mom’s prom dress, circa 1966-7, a big white confection that was totally mod, and which she can’t quite remember but thinks she made.  but a big white mod dress wasn’t really working for me right now, with a pile of other dresses waiting to get done, and i have a slight t-shirt obsession, and it seemed ripe to experiment with refashioning a T using the renfrew pattern.

look at how cute and carefree they are.  wasn’t my mom a total betty?

also, when i found this photo of my mom in a casual t-shirt and jeans, a look i would swear i have never seen her wearing in the 30 years i have known her, i was instantly smitten.  my mom’s family were always a bit strict, and consequently so was she.  a put-on-makeup-to-walk-to-the-mailbox type.  as a child, and a teenager, i found this incredibly frustrating because i, as a child of the 90s and an east-cost adopter of the flannel shirt (without ever having heard “smells like teen spirit,” mind you), was always about the most casual, comfortable option.  so i consider this photo to be sort of my dad’s influence, a hippie chemist in 1981 in his absurd t-shirt and short shorts.  and, to be honest, i have no idea what he may or may not have smoked to get himself mentally prepared for a day at the in-laws’.  🙂

unlike my slinky knit from ann on my previous renfrew, the jersey actually had less give than i expected and on future t-shirt refashions i am going to cut a size 2 and use XL t-shirts so i can make the waist band, although on this version i did leave the edges raw on purpose.

some things never change…

…at least i come by it honestly.

also, for those of you just now watching series 2 of sherlock (yes, i was a crazy person, downloading the file on new year’s day here in the US instead of waiting an extra five months) — what did you think of “scandal in belgravia”?  i was laughing and loving it pretty much nonstop from “stayin’ alive” through to the pulse-taking scene, but then i sort of lost it.  that ending was a bit weird, no?  unsatisfying?

but, as i have discovered, it does improve on subsequent viewings.  and next week’s “hound of baskerville” is pretty fun and classic.  lestrade has a first name!

indiana jones would also not wear pants (or trousers) to buckingham palace. but he would probably leave the ash trays.