Despite tackling three different versions of the Alder Shirtdress, and being mildly obsessed with Grainline Studio patterns in general, I have somehow never made a Scout Tee. When I jumped back into sewing last summer, I was mostly motivated by my desire to have a collared shirtdress (the Alder), and skipped over a bunch of perfectly lovely patterns that would have been far simpler and significantly less frustrating. One of these was the minimalist Scout Tee, which is quite ubiquitous in the sewing blogosphere.
I used a double gauze from Cotton + Steel, bought last summer in Portland, OR at Bolt, in a color that seems either coral or reddish-orange depending on the light. It’s actually a bit brighter than I anticipated, but since we hit 70 degrees today, I think it’s appropriate. I also managed to eek this top out of about a yard of fabric (maybe less!) because I knew I could be more efficient than the printed cutting diagram (often the case when I’m making a small size).
The pattern really is simple to put together (just four 4 pieces to cut, woohoo!), and it produces a nice breezy top that still manages to be flattering. I did end up with a bit of a gaping neckline (see below), and have a feeling this is a fit issue, or just that I need to cut a shorter bias piece, or something, since this happens with a lot of my tops. Experienced sewists, please inform me if you know what I’m doing wrong!
Since the pattern is only fitted at the shoulders, I cut a 2 to accommodate my broad back/shoulders, and then graded down to a 0 (which is the right size according to my bust measurement). It may not have been necessary to even make that adjustment, but I just remember that my Tiny Pocket Tank from last summer was a straight 0, and although it fits, I have to shimmy a little to get it on my body.
And just because I’m nerding out here, I’ve finally figured out how to use the overcast stitch! I stumbled across a great deal on Craigslist for my serger about a year ago, so I’ve never made the effort to figure out how to overcast, but my new sewing machine (more on that another time) makes things so easy to understand that I finally went for it. It’s obviously much slower than the serger, but the ease of getting that perfectly coordinating thread without having to rethread my serger is kind of cool.
Also, I’m still working on getting good photos of my makes, so bear with me as I learn to use my camera remote without looking like there is something very odd happening with my arms. 
Stitch Party 
Nice! Regarding the neckline, did/do you staystitch? You know, tracing the curve, just inside the seam allowance, to stop the bias cut from stretching out of shape?
Well, I did understitch after I attatched the bias strip (before turning it under), but should I be staystitching the neckline itself before even attaching the bias strip?
Yes. You could even do it before cutting out the neckline. Just mark it, staystitch and then cut. It will be super stable and not stretch.
Oh, excellent – thanks for the advice! I will definitely do that next time. I was starting to think it was fit issue.
Probably not, it is very – very! – easy to stretch a bias out of shape. Guess how I know? Staystitching ftw!
Haha, every mistake leads to learning something new, right? 🙂 So, because I am new to terminology, should I be staystitching the actual bias strip, or the neckline on the garment? Or both?
The garment! The bias tape can move as it wants to (which is the great blessing of bias tape). Good luck! ☺