{"id":12564,"date":"2014-09-25T09:48:15","date_gmt":"2014-09-25T13:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/blog\/?p=12564"},"modified":"2019-05-21T13:12:23","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T17:12:23","slug":"introducing-the-liesl-co-bento-tee-pattern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2014\/09\/introducing-the-liesl-co-bento-tee-pattern.html","title":{"rendered":"introducing the liesl + co bento tee pattern"},"content":{"rendered":"

You’re probably already familiar with our Metro T-Shirt pattern<\/a>, right? It’s our classic semi-fitted T-shirt with a not-too-high and not-too-low neckline and short or long sleeves. I wear my Metro Tee with pencil skirts, jeans, under jackets, etc. We all need a few tees in our wardrobe.<\/p>\n

But sometimes you want a tee that’s a little less fitted and more boxy. I started wanting to make this pattern when I was designing the Girl Friday Culottes<\/a> because it has such a contemporary silhouette. I find boxy tees to be really flattering.<\/p>\n

Thus, the Bento Tee<\/a>. Bento box. Boxy tee. Get it?<\/p>\n

\"Liesl<\/a><\/p>\n

This pattern features a dropped shoulder with a slight kimono-style sleeve and a wider neckline. It’s not quite a bateau neckline, just a little wider and higher than our Metro Tee in order to give that boxy feel. It also includes three different sleeve options: long sleeves, three-quarter sleeves, and short sleeves with a cute little cuff. And, most importantly, it can be sewn with a basic un-seamed front and back or with a horizontal seam that includes two nearly-hidden in-seam pockets.<\/p>\n

\"Liesl<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Liesl<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Liesl<\/a><\/p>\n

This style is meant to be a bit cropped and wide, but not really over-sized. It’s just a little boxier than our Metro T-shirt. I prefer this style to be a couple of inches longer than waist length so it’s not too cropped. Also, if you want a truly over-sized style (which I sometimes do) this is a great pattern to use. You can get the over-sized look by making it a size or two larger than you usually wear. And, of course, if you prefer your tops to be longer (tucked in, perhaps?) you can always lengthen the pattern. I think it would be really cute worn that way.<\/p>\n

\"Liesl<\/a><\/p>\n

Believe it or not, this pattern also makes a great sweatshirt! I made the version in the photo above with a waffle knit, and I’ll be wearing it all fall with jeans, culottes, as well as with pencil skirts.<\/p>\n

This is a really easy pattern to sew. I think you’ll get a lot of use out of it. You’ll want to use a knit fabric for this style, but feel free to add woven details. You might also think about playing with color blocking for this style. And I especially like it in this quilted jersey that I found at B&J Fabrics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Liesl<\/a><\/p>\n

Styling ideas, anyone? Here you go. Remember when I talked about playing with design ease<\/a>? This style is a good example of what I mean. You can balance a loose fit with a tighter, body-conscious fit to create different silhouettes. I’ve added the images below, and many more, to my Liesl + Co Pattern Styling Ideas Pinterest board<\/a>, where you can find inspiration for all our patterns.<\/p>\n

\"bento-styling-1\"<\/a>\"bento-styling-3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Are you getting some inspiration for the Bento Tee<\/a> yet? I hope so! I’m looking forward to seeing how you sew it. Don’t forget to add your photos to the Liesl + Co Flickr group<\/a> so we can see how it turns out!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introducing our new Liesl + Co sewing pattern, the Bento Tee. It’s a boxy t-shirt pattern that provides lots of versatility while being very stylish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20687],"tags":[202],"class_list":["post-12564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-bento-tee"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/bento-tee-sewing-pattern.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5jZS5-3gE","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":84149,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2026\/02\/8-of-our-favorite-sewing-patterns-for-knits.html","url_meta":{"origin":12564,"position":0},"title":"8 of our favorite sewing patterns for knits","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"February 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Knits are essential for our wardrobes these days, and fortunately we have a lot of patterns for them. Here are my top 8. You'll be surprised how easy they are to sew!","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/8-knits-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":60635,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2017\/04\/bento-tee-round-up.html","url_meta":{"origin":12564,"position":1},"title":"bento tee round-up","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"April 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Liesl + Co. Bento Tee flows seamlessly into any wardrobe. Come and see what your sewing friends have done with the pattern.","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/bentoteeF.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":60656,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2017\/04\/sew-tell-bento-tee-alabama-style.html","url_meta":{"origin":12564,"position":2},"title":"sew + tell: bento tee, alabama style","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"April 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Liesl shares a special Bento Tee she has made using reverse applique. It's perfect for wearing around her Spanish neighborhood.","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/gracias-banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":62337,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2017\/08\/my-favorite-liesl-co-pattern-sarah-from-fabric-tragic.html","url_meta":{"origin":12564,"position":3},"title":"my favorite liesl + co. pattern: sarah from fabric tragic","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"August 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Sarah from Fabric Tragic is here to tell us why the Liesl + Co. Bento Tee is her favorite Liesl + Co. pattern.","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/bentoF.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41789,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2015\/01\/bento-tee-stripe-solution.html","url_meta":{"origin":12564,"position":4},"title":"bento tee stripe solution","author":"Rachel Le Grand","date":"January 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Shelley shows us how she modified the Liesl + Co Bento Tee into a long sleeved striped Breton top.","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/StripedBentoTITLE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":61139,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2017\/05\/turning-the-bento-tee-into-a-dress.html","url_meta":{"origin":12564,"position":5},"title":"turning the bento tee into a dress","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"May 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Liesl shows you a couple simple customizations she used to turn the Liesl + Co. Bento Tee pattern into a dress for spring and summer.","rel":"","context":"In "general post"","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bento-banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12564"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69740,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12564\/revisions\/69740"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}