Hello! I’m Aimee, also known as the Sewing Scientist, here to bring you a new blog post for Ellie & Mac. This blog contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, I will receive a small commission for which I am very grateful.
Today, I want to show you a few simple hacks for the Discoverer Tee. 
This is the Discoverer Tee made to the pattern. When I made it, I realized this pattern was perfect for trying a few simple hacks to give it a little different fit or look. 
First, I wanted to make the Discoverer Tee with a pleat in the back. To do this, I cut the pattern piece about 1.5 inches from the fold of the fabric.
I then marked where the edge of my pattern piece was. With right sides together, I sewed along that line for 0.5”. I then brought the folded edge to the stitch line and flattened the folds to each side. Then I basted along the top of the pir\ece to keep the pleat in place while I constructed the top per the pattern.
Here is the front – just a tad bit looser. This is a rayon spandex knit and will give a looser overall fit to begin with. 
Here is the pleated back with a close-up photo of the pleat. This hack could be used to add a woven panel to the back.
I then decided to try out two other hacks at once. One part turned out perfect and one part did not. I wanted to do a lined yoke to eliminate the neckband and I wanted to try the slash & spread method to add gathers without adding width to the body. I won’t go into detail on the gathered body as mine did not work out.
Here’s a close up of the lined yoke. To do this, just cut two of each yoke pieces and construct as you would the Be Breezy pattern. The problem with my slash & spread was that I ended up with a bubble of fabric under both my arms. I think I know what went wrong and will have to try it again.
I then decided to take a Discoverer Tee with a gathered bodice. I find that concentrating the gathers over the breasts instead of spreading them evenly across the body is more attractive. For this hack, I cut the bodice pieces about three inches from the folded edge of the fabric. 
I then gathered the back piece evenly all the way across, and on the front piece, I tried to estimate where the gathers should be, to be centered over each breast. I failed in my estimation, and my gathers ended up closer to my sides. I still love my finished top.And here is the gathered back.
Which hack do you like best? I still have a lot more ideas for hacking the Discoverer Tee– Split front yoke with tie, three pleats on the front, curved split hem with button scent, woven back panel, and so many more.
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