Pattern Review: Thread Theory Strathcona Henley

I have a real aversion to buying new clothes. I try and make most of my own, but I haven’t so far made a huge amount for my partner, Neil. I’m always making promises, so I delay him buying new clothes, but often my intentions don’t match reality so his wardrobe can start looking a little threadbare….I could no longer ignore the little holes in his t-shirts (I don’t know how but they appear in all of them), necklines a bit stretched out, and the odd stain here and there. All looking a bit shabby.

Now was the time to come through on my promises, especially as we had the gorgeous 55% Hemp, 45% Organic Cotton Jersey fabrics in store. I am always excited to find fabrics with hemp content as hemp requires no pesticides and significantly less water to grow than cotton and is known for its durability. I decided to give the Thread Theory Strathcona Henley a try, in the t-shirt option (Variation 2). This pattern is described as a slim fitting t-shirt that can be sewn either with a straight crew neck (as I did) or a Henley style placket with long or short sleeves. It’s not often that you can find matching rib for your fabric, but for all of these fabrics we do have the ribbing in an exact colour match, so I used some of that too!

Sizing

Neil is usually a small or medium in t-shirts, but comparing the measurements of one of his well- loved tees with the pattern I was surprised to find I would need to make a L – the second biggest size. This is to give him what I would consider an average fit but certainly not oversized. 

I also found it to be very long in the body. I removed 10cm from the length before I cut which I think would have been spot on for Neil. Unfortunately I made him try it on before hemming and for some reason decided it needed to lose another inch so it’s a tad on the short side now.

Construction

The pattern instructions were very clear and the t-shirt came together fairly easily, albeit with a bit of tinkering to try and get the ribbed neckband right (I’d never used ribbing for a neckband before). The length required to get a neckband to sit flat and not pucker I have always found to be a bit of a mystery. Too short and it needs to be stretched too much when sewn, causing puckers around the seam. Too long and it sticks up away from the body. And each fabric will behave differently, based on the amount of stretch, so there’s no easy answer. I turned to the internet for help and found a couple of useful resources here and here.

I did veer away from the pattern somewhat at this point, as it calls for 5/8 in (1.6cm) seam allowances throughout. I prefer a narrower seam allowance on neckbands to give me half a chance of a good result so used ¼ in (0.6 cm).

I finished the hem and sleeves with an overlocked edge and a twin needle.

Final thoughts

The t-shirt fits really nicely on Neil and he reports that the fabric is really soft and comfortable to wear. The pattern is well written and easy to follow and contains plenty of extra tips for sewing with knits if you’re new to using this kind of fabric.

I did find the size range to be disappointing as it doesn’t cater to larger bodies. 

One t-shirt is not going to solve the current t-shirt crisis in Neil’s wardrobe so there will be more coming…(one in every colour of the hemp and organic cotton jersey we have in store!)

Find the Strathcona Henley pattern here.

- Lauren