The Not-a-Golf-Shirt: sewing the Jalie 2562 polo shirt

Jalie 2562 Polo Shirt

As promised, I’m back with one of my summer 2020 makes, the Jalie 2562 Polo Shirt. You’ll have to excuse me if this post isn’t as well written as usual as I had my first Covid jab yesterday morning and am definitely suffering some side effects today–although nowhere near as bad as I was last night. Fuzzy head, exhaustion and dead arm ahoy! I’m just trying to embrace it all as a sign my immune system is starting to recognise this little bugger of a virus and it will help life get back to normal eventually. Or July 21st as Boris kind of promised us here in the UK. Let’s see…

Jalie 2562 Polo Shirt

I have really mixed feelings about this top, but more about that later. I’ve never been particularly into polo shirts and this is the first time I’ve ever worn one myself. I got the idea, though, because I love open neck shirts and I thought if I could have that in a knit tee type garment it could be an ideal casual summer top. Obviously sewing it all in one solid colour gets away from the really frumpy looking pattern cover pics. Seriously, how ugly are these?!!!

Jalie 2562 Polo Shirt
How to disguise yourself as a pair of curtains…

Now, anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while will know I love Jalie patterns. They have lots of knits patterns and are printed on nice thick paper for a start. They also include kids sizes in the patterns too, which is great for someone with two daughters. But best of all, they seem to be drafted for someone with my proportions and I rarely have to change anything.

I’ve had this pattern in my stash for years without making it, though. I think it’s partly the awful cover pics that put me off, but also the creeping suspicion that it might be a really aging style and make me look like I’m ready to start drawing my pension. Or head off down the golf course. Not that there’s anything wrong with golf (Andy loves a game) but it’s not my cup of tea.

Jalie 2562 Polo Shirt
Now I’m thinking I should have borrowed one of Andy’s clubs to pose with!

I had vague ideas I’d make a summer dress with this black wool pique jersey when I ordered it, although I didn’t have a specific pattern in mind. Wool pique was nota fabric I’d ever sewn with before and I was intrigued to see what it was like. I love wool but options suitable for wearing in summer are few and far between. It’s actually a wool and viscose blend (not sure of the exact proportions as Fabric Godmother didn’t specify–I’m guessing it was deadstock). It’s pretty drapey and stretchy, but with a slight transparency to the weave that I just didn’t trust in a dress. You wouldn’t want to stand with the sun behind you!

The fabric reminded me of nothing so much as a traditional polo shirt, and since I had this pattern I decided it was probably a good match. It was a fun pattern to sew up what with the challenges of the placket and collar. Definitely not one I’d recommend to anyone brand new to sewing with knits as collars definitely aren’t as easy as when sewing with wovens (and even then, they’re not that easy!). I have a bit of a lumpy, puckered bit at the bottom of the placket as a result, but I doubt anyone else will ever notice.

Jalie 2562 Polo Shirt
I dare you to point out my puckered placket!

Jalie’s sewing directions are relatively sparse (think Butterick/Vogue, etc rather than the detail of a typical indie sewing pattern) but the diagrams are excellent and incredibly helpful. This fabric definitely wasn’t the easiest to sew with, though. Although it’s light and definitely a summer fabric, it has some body too and was surprisingly difficult to make behave at seam junctions. I’m guessing if I had a clapper that might have helped, but you can probably see the slight lumpiness at the top of the arms in these pictures (they crease up even worse when I lift my arms like in the picture below). I suppose I can probably still fix that a bit with the iron before I next wear it… God, I hate ironing!

Jalie 2562 Polo Shirt

I used a medium woven interfacing for the bits that needed (collar and stand) it as I reasoned they wouldn’t actually need to stretch and it would make it a bit simpler sewing up. I also used some light interfacing in the placket which wasn’t specified in the pattern, thinking that would also help with the sewing. Honestly, I probably shouldn’t have as it made the whole thing more bulky and I’m pretty sure that’s why I ended up with a pucker. Never mind. You live and learn.

My other tip for sewing this pattern is to use wondertape (affiliate link) rather than pins when sewing the placket. It really helped with getting everything lined up and behaving nicely under the presser foot. With this fabric I had to use it for the hem too as that really didn’t want to behave. Speaking of the hem, I really like the side splits:

Jalie 2562 Polo Shirt

In fact, there’s a lot I do like about this top. It’s good a good figure skimming fit without being too tight. The placket is great. I like black… But maybe it’s just a bit too sombre for summer? And with fabric like this it’s too cool to wear when the weather isn’t warm, but the sleeves make it too hot to wear when it’s really warm. There’s a Goldilocks zone there somewhere, but not something I saw much of at the end of last summer (I finished this in August). I’m hoping spring might afford a few more opportunities to try it out and figure out how to style it. Not 100% sure it works with my crazy flowery trousers (also a Jalie pattern). What do you reckon?

If I do end up making Jalie 2562 again for myself, I will probably leave off the collar and add a smidge more width to the hips. Possibly a small swayback adjustment too. But other than that it’s a good fit and I’m reasonably confident I can find a way of making it feel “me”. A more cosy jersey fabric might be a good start!

The deets

Pattern: Jalie 2562 Polo Shirt (women’s)

Size: W

Fabric: 75cm of black wool pique jersey from Fabric Godmother (long out of stock)

Modifications: none.

Costing: 

  • Pattern: £11.04, I think, for the paper pattern from Habithat years ago. It’s now only available as a pdf.
  • Fabric: £12 (cost £24 for 1.5m and I used half)
  • Notions: £0.00 (small scraps of interfacing and thread from stash)
  • Total: £23.04

That’s not too bad for a top made out of a lovely quality fabric, although if I end up never wearing it then it’s a bit steep, I suppose. I’m thinking I might make it part of my Me Made May challenge this year to find ways of wearing things that I’m currently not sure about. What’s there to lose?!

On the Sewing Table:

Honestly, I haven’t done much since last week, again. A bit of work on the Jenny trousers but that’s it. I’ve had a head cold and been using my available energy for getting some stuff going for the garden. I fully expect to have a good weekend’s sewing, though, and will get my Butterick shirt cut out and started, plus those trousers finished at last! *fingers crossed*

Next week I’ll be sharing a proper write up of this frankenpatterned turtleneck top I’ve already modelled a couple of times under my Jenny overalls and Faux fur Gilet. It’s about time I got some pics of it on its own, really!

Ciao for now,

Anna x

Disclaimer: some of the products linked above use affiliate links, meaning if you follow the link and make a purchase I will receive a small referral fee (at no added cost to you). Any extra income to help fund my sewing habit is greatly appreciated, but rest assured I only recommend products I love and think you might find useful too 🙂

4 thoughts on “The Not-a-Golf-Shirt: sewing the Jalie 2562 polo shirt”

  1. So it’s not a golf shirt, but do you play polo? (Funny to me since a polo club is closer to my (New York, USA) mountaintop home than any nearby village. Redunculous!) I always forget the Wonder Tape when I’m working on the fidly bits, so now I remember why I’m afraid of plackets and patch pockets!

    1. Hehe, I have no idea where I’d go to play polo! It’s very much an upper class game in the UK. I don’t think I know anyone who plays. Sounds like you live in a beautiful area—I love mountains.

      Wonder tape is definitely your friend when it comes to the fiddly bits!

  2. It looks like a great pattern result! The tip about using wonder tape for the placket is a super helpful idea. And yay on getting your shots! It sucks that you aren’t feeling well, but I’m happy that you will have the protection of being vaccinated soon. I feel like every time I know someone who is getting their vaccine I want to do a happy dance for them to celebrate.

    1. Thank you! I love Wonder tape. That and 505 spray glue come out often when I don’t want to use pins in fiddly areas. That and hand basting.

      The vaccine is such a relief, particularly because of my mum’s health issues. I’m so looking forward to spending more time with friends and family this year!

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