Tarawi Shirt

The Tarawi Shirt is the latest pattern release from me and Leila under the Muna and Broad banner!

The Tarawi Shirt comes with 2+, 4+, and 6+ cup sizes (difference in inches between upper and full bust) and a no bust option (for folks with no breast tissue, or who bind). The size chart spans 36″-66″ (91-168cm) Bust and 41.5″-71.5″ (105-182cm) Hip. There’s also a regular and narrow sleeve option and after I made this shirt we also added a narrow neck option too.

Fit intentions: This relaxed shirt has a set-in shoulder (a Muna and Broad first), which is designed to sit about 1/2″ past the shoulder bones, so that it sits nicely on fat arms. The shirt has a 2-piece collar and excellent gusseted pockets, but can also be made with a band collar and the pockets omitted.

My measurements: Upper bust 43″, full bust 48″, largest measurement 56/57″, lower hip 55″. I have quite narrow shoulders, and the 5″ difference in measurements between my upper and full bust is quite misleading because that’s not my actual cup size. I also mostly wear soft bralettes, which means my bust apex is quite low and I don’t get any artificial shape or lift.

Size details: I made a Size D, based on my upper bust measurements, and used the 2+ front. I graded out to a little past the Size E hip to accommodate for my largest measurement. I think next time, I’ll grade a little bit further out around the waist and the hips to give myself some extra room. Because of my IBS-related bloating, I often do have quite a large measurement directly above my navel.

I don’t measure in to the 2+ bust front, but based on experimentation I’ve found this cup size best suited the size and projection of my actual breast tissue. I used the regular sleeve (as opposed to the narrow sleeve), and although I didn’t on this shirt

Fabric details: I used this crisp cotton shirting which has a similar feel to a lawn. I had 2.8m of this 150cm wide fabric and cut on the open. I have a decent piece of fabric left, but probably not enough for a garment for my body. For this shirt, I wasn’t fussy about pattern placement, which makes cutting out and being fabric thrifty quite easy.

Notions: I used river shell buttons from Hawes and Freer in Auckland, and used 1 less on the front than the pattern recommends. I didn’t have a great thread match, so ended up using a soft pink which blended fine.

I had this fabric bundled up, measured and priced to sell at a fabric stash sale a few months ago. Fortunately, nobody took a shine to it, and when I was packing up my fabric which didn’t sell, I snuck this one back onto my stash shelves. I hope this low-contrast patterned shirt will get lots of wear with my pink and purple wardrobe pieces.

You can get 15% off Tarawi Shirt this week as it’s currently on pre-sale!