Trying and Altering Babylock’s Cuffed T-shirt Pattern

I’d been curious about the cuffed T‑shirt pattern from Babylock Japan, so I finally gave it a try—adding a few tweaks of my own to create the style I was after.

Pattern observations

Compared to my v-neck dress, the front V is 5cm higher and the back neckline is 3cm lower. I altered the front neckline so it’s 5cm deeper than the original pattern to bring it closer to the style of my summer dress below:

The making

For this trial run, I used leftover lining knit fabric. This was actually my first attempt at sewing collar facings with the serger instead of straight stitching. A useful tip I discovered: cutting a small slit at the V-neck tip helps the facing sit more cleanly.

Here’s me trying it on when I was almost done. The hem isn’t finished yet, but it gave me a good sense of the drape and fit.

Impressions

• The width is OK for a loose-fitting summer top.
• It needs to be cut about 7cm shorter than the pattern, while keeping the hem curve.
• A top stitch around the neckline is necessary to hold it in place.
• Deepening the neckline by 5cm was a good decision.
• A fabric with a bit more structure may improve the overall look.

Afterwards, I did try slimming the bodice in by 3cm on each side so it’s closer to 50cm wide. But it didn’t look that much different from the front, unless I extended my arms out. So I think either width is fine.

Gathered version

I wanted to try a gathered‑yoke version so the added fullness prevents anything from showing through the fabric.

• Front and back panels cut 5cm shorter than original pattern
• V neck deeper by 5cm (same as purple prototype)
• Yoke created at front at 19cm from top of neckline (cut straight horizontally at 20cm from top for yoke / 18cm from top for extended bodice)
• Front bodice panel extended by 16cmx2. Middle 30cm to be gathered, and 16cm on either side towards sleeves to stay straight.
• Top stitch was applied to the neckline
• Fabric used: Cotton lycra remnants.

(Skirt is from my past project; 120° Circle Skirt Pattern & Sewing with Cotton Voile)

Impressions

• The front looks great; the V‑neck could be cut 2 cm shallower for a bit more coverage… or make cut the back neckline shallower so it doesn’t fall forward.
• The back feels a bit short and wide (billowy); could curve it out longer & slim down the bodice (front and back) by 2cm when folded in half.
• I like how these sleeves look more than the inset sleeve version.

Third time’s a charm

In my third and final version, I made several adjustments to reduce the billowiness and address the deep, insecure neckline.

Compared to the gathered version:

• The neckline was made round; it was cut 2 cm shallower at the front, and 1 cm wider across both the front and back. The round neckline was finished with 4-ply binding instead of a collar facing.
• I lengthened the back, as it previously felt slightly short.
• I reduced the width of the front and back panels by by 2.5 cm on the folds (ie. 5 cm narrower bodice for front and back).
• I adjusted the front gather to approximately x1.7 instead of 2. (Cut 12cm wider than non-gathered pattern.)

So, compared to the original Babylock’s pattern, my pattern alterations are in pink below.