The Cuffed Dolman Tee

I've been wanting to make myself a Dolman Tee for a while now and when I saw THIS TUTORIAL from Make it and Love It I had no more excuses.  I have a million other projects to finish before I make myself a new shirt but since I spent 24 hours being puked on repeatedly by sick kids a new shirt was exactly what I needed to feel happy and clean and like a human being again.

So I jumped right into the tutorial and made the exact shirt that was on Make It and Love It except here's the thing - it turned out horrible!  It looked like a church choir robe.  But it's not the tutorials fault {the tutorial is fantastic}.  I blame myself mostly.  For one, I used a thicker knit fabric and it was a solid color.  Two, I've got some meat on me.  It just didn't have the same look as the cute example tee.  I think with a bigger girl the large flowy sleeves just add more bulk and it just wasn't making me love the shirt or myself.

But no worries, it was an easy fix!  The secret?  A simple cuff and a small tweak at the neck.  Here's a short run down on how to make one yourself.

Step 1:  Use this tutorial at Make It and Love It to make the body of your tee as well as the bottom band.

Step 2:  Using her same instructions for the waist band, make two cuffs for the arms.  Gather the sleeve and attach cuff.

Step 3:  Cut a much lower neckline than the tutorial instructions tell you to do.  (If you have a bigger chest a really high neckline will only make it seem bigger).  She has both front and back of the neckline the same.  I tried on the shirt and decided how low I wanted the neckline to be.  I then took a pencil and marked where I wanted it.  I then took off the shirt and trimmed the front collar using my marks as guides.

Step 4:  Instead of attaching a collar to the neckline like in the tutorial I simply folded the fabric over and used a double needle to stitch it in place.

Just two little tweaks and the shirt was now perfect for me.  It felt great to wear it and it was everything I am looking for in a shirt - cute, comfy and modest.

Thanks Ashley at Make It and Love It for the inspiration!