This has been a very productive week! I have finished two projects, a top and a skirt. It was a toss up which one would go first but since I did the last post on the top, let's continue! I will start by saying I LOVE THIS TOP! It is comfortable and if positive comments were worth money, well, I'd be buying you all lunch!
Pattern:
This is Vogue 9169, "Pullover top, has neckband, seam detail variations, and stitched hem" per the pattern description. I did View B with what it calls an "applied upper section".
This is a tricky pattern to alter, obviously. I cut a size six morphing to ten at the hips. This was directly as a result of flat pattern measuring. That was tricky too but I thought I nailed it. I didn't. I also did a minor "cheater" FBA, curving out the side seam at bust level. I still could use a tad more fabric on the bust and will do a more traditional FBA next go-round. I DID NOT petite this pattern as it seemed to be just right when which you can see by no horizontal wrinkles between neck and bust. Also, the apexes matched. The big fit issue were the hips. Yes, they would meet but I am not a fan of negative ease, just not me. So I added the godet as I showed you in the previous post. Frankly, I am starting to think of myself as the Godet Queen. Heaven only knows how many times you have seen me solve a fitting challenge with a godet. We've done hips, backs, sleeves, underarm to hem, you name it. Doesn't fit? Stick a godet in it! But don't call it a wadder and give up. Worse case, you donate it, but you will have also gained lots of sewing knowledge and experience in the interim. Out of the pulpit!
I also added one inch to the bicep area of the sleeves. I do this now automatically to all my patterns. I know most probably wouldn't alter the sleeves on a knit top, but again, I am not a fan of negative ease. Maybe I've just lurked too much on People of Walmart. The sleeves have been shortened to my preferred 7/8ths length.
Fabric:
The print is an ITY knit from Fabric.com. It is thin but not too thin. The stripe fabric is from a maxi skirt purchased at our local thrift shop, St. Vincent de Paul's. I have several knit garments I've purchased recently just to have the fabric. There is a lot of fabric in those maxi skirts!
I backed the hems with Dritz quilt batting tape, a soft but stable tricot fusible tape. For the neckline I used regular fusible tricot interfacing, however. This is because the neck hole really is not that big on this pattern. It goes over my head, certainly not the biggest, just barely. And the ITY is definitely VERY stretchy in all directions. That neckhole really needs to be a bit bigger, or something, so fair warning there.
Construction:
This was pretty straightforward for a knit top. Since I didn't have to do any petite adjustments or narrowing of the shoulders, I would recommend double checking your measurements in the upper bodice area. I am very narrow there and it fit just right in the size six, which usually requires some alteration for me.
All seams were stitched with a wobble stitch, a very narrow zigzag of 1.0 length and .5 width. I did another row of stitching one eighth inch away and then trimmed back to the second stitching.
I was not happy with the neck binding. I matched notches and seams and the seam that closes the binding ended up in an odd spot. Watch out for that. I also have a question for all you knit experts out there as I certainly don't fit into that group. When you use a pattern piece for a neck binding on a knit pattern, do you cut it smaller? Or does the pattern take that into consideration. The binding was smaller but I felt it could be even more so to lie just a little flatter. I'd appreciate any input. So do you automatically cut back your binding a certain amount, even if it is from a pattern? Thanks for your answers.
I found matching the stripe section to the print section a bit confusing. There is supposed to be a line to match the two on the pattern but all my pieces had was a line for folding up the hem on the top bodice. So what I did was match the raw edge of the stripe with the raw edge of the folded under hem of the print. This put the stripe an inch and a quarter underneath the print. Then I topstitched. I found the topstitching directions/drawings a bit confusing, too. There is no topstitching line on the top bodice so you are on your own to figure out the best place to topstitch and how many rows. It would be hard to make that look really bad but it would be nice to know what the original designer intended. In the pattern, the sleeves are installed in the round. If I did it again They would be done flat. I also think I would leave a shoulder seam open to insert the binding that way.
In Conclusion:
All in all, I am very happy with my top. It fits quite nicely even if not perfect and I can see myself making this again, It could be fun in a solid with maybe just a binding on the hem edge. There is a lot of opportunity for creativity here.
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I have been in a skirt sort of mood lately and am anxiously awaiting some linen purchased on line. In the meantime, I took some denim I've had for some time and just went with it. I tried a style of skirt that I really wasn't sure would work. I think it did and will have that coming up next. It has been a fruitful week!
And yes, I am letting my hair go gray, quelle horeur! Truth is I am painfully jealous of my sister's glorious white hair that she has had since she's thirty. If mine can be half as gorgeous........in the meantime it's calico head with the silver up front, the natural dark at the back and sides and the faded brown growing out poorly on top. I will be happy when it is all grown out. But will it be like Sis's with it's thick white coloring? Only time will tell.....Bunny
Oh, your top is just gorgeous and it does fit you like a glove! I love the fabric you've used and the little vee opening on the front side! What a beautiful job you've done. Seems like all I've been sewing lately is doll clothes! ;)
ReplyDeleteBe a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
Doll clothes are fun and great for when your can't invest tons of time in a project. Thanks for your lovely compliments.
DeleteDarling top and cool colors and stripes. I never use the binding pattern piece, just cut the width and length I want and then baste and try on. Some knits stretch so much crosswise that you really need to shorten that strip a lot to make it curve back to the body so it is an experiment with every knit. The hair thing takes a while but yoiu have so many options. For me, I have grown out just the front 2 inches so I resemble a Capuchin monkey and I like the stark white while keeping the back dark brown for now. Persevere!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I know the white will come. My sister also has thick wavy hair, as opposed to my fine and straight. Can you see a bit of sibling rivalry here?
DeleteBeautiful fabric, very attractive on you. I agree with mrsmole. I never use the binding pattern provided. I have learned to "feel" my way around the neck opening and stretch in the spots that tend to be loose - the hollows either side of the center front and around the back neck. The pattern piece rarely produces a nice close fit, as there are just too many variables with fabric choice. All in all, it is a beautiful top. Also, I took the advice of my doctor and let my hair grow out naturally after chemo. I sometimes think I want to color it again but people compliment me all the time. It is silver in the front and sides and very dark brown in the back, just like my mom's was until she was 80! One thing though, I now gravitate toward the grays and blues as opposed to the golds and browns that I used to love. Seems to work for me!
DeleteI'm not a knit expert but I sew a fair amount of knits. Here's my input on the neck binding:
ReplyDelete1. Some patterns are better than others at getting the right length for the binding, and all knits behave differently so just because a pattern worked once doesn't mean the results will be perfect the next time.
2. I usually cut a rectangle bigger than my binding piece, give it a good stretch, let it relax, then cut the binding. Sometimes after I cut out the piece I hold the pattern and fabric together at one end, let it hang down, and cut off any fabric that hangs below the pattern. Anything to get rid of surprise stretch!
3. I've seen formulas, like the neckband should be 10% smaller than the neckline, but I generally figure the band should be a little smaller than what you want the finished edge to be. If the pattern piece is the right size then doing #2 above should compensate for different fabrics.
Sorry, I guess those steps aren't in the right order. Quite the reflection on the way I think.
By the way, I love your gray hair!
Those are great hints, Karen, particularly number two. Thanks so much.
DeleteLove it - Really!
ReplyDeleteThis top really looks lovely on you, and the two fabrics go so well together - considering you found them at completely different places!
ReplyDeleteWhenever I work with a new knit (a lot, because I work at a knit place) I put the half-finished top on the stand and drape a band around the neck to gauge the fit, almost always works! A commercial pattern will only ever be a guide because every knit is so different. Looking forward to seeing that skirt!
It's lovely. I love the colours. And an ingenious save, too. Nothing wasted!
ReplyDeleteI feel your sisterly comparison. I have very fine but abundant brunette hair now going grey around my face to my absolute delight as I can colour the grey hairs interesting colours like pink! My mother does this with her grey hair so ironically, I got the idea from her. MY sister has incredibly thick, straight, strong hair in a gorgeous strawberry blonde. She always wears her hair short whereas I prefer to wear mine long. How mad to have a blue eyed blond and a brown eyed brunette in one family.
You always entertain, Mrs. C.!
DeleteI think the top is perfect and love the godets that were added. Looks fabulous on you!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first opened your blog, I thought, "oh, boy. Here's one of those sewistas that buys that $200 a yard silk fabric." What a gorgeous, elegant top! The colors, the stripes break up the large knit pattern. Really quite perfect.
ReplyDeleteThese pattern designers should HIRE you to pre-test their products before they send them out to the public, Bunny. I would never have been able to do figure out the adjustments that you make.
ReplyDeleteThis top is just lovely on you! Gorgeous fabric...LOVE the bias stripe at the neckline.
I've been watching Peggy Sagers on TV on her show, Fit 2 Stitch & gaining a lot of knowledge from her pattern adaptations. Check to see if you can get her on your PBS channel.
forgot to say Peggy's show is on youtube also!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg4Ilr0j080
Another winner here Bunny! Your fabric is beautiful and you've done a super job with this knit. I seldom sew with knits anymore but when I do, I disregard the pattern piece provided for a neckband. Actually, I do the same for woven fabrics...and knit fabric varies so much in how readily it stretches. As for your hair, I used to have a beauty shop. If you notice the new hair coming in is white in color (instead of grey), then your hair will eventually turn the white color you are anticipating. How long the complete transformation takes varies from person to person. Linda S.
ReplyDeleteLove, love this Bunny. The fabrics are fantastic. What a great save with the godet. I've taken several Craftsy classes on knits. Linda Lee suggests taking the finished measurement of the neckline x 7/8 to determine the binding length. That has been a little too much so I add 1" to that. On a recent Sandra Betzina webinar she said she cuts her binding 2" shorter than the neckline measurement & said she's found that works well. Emma Seabrooke's recommendations: for knits with 25-35% stretch cut the band 25% less than the neckline measurement + 1" for seam allowances; for Slinky or lycra: cut 20% less + 1" seam allowance. I've tried Marcy Tilton's method where she just cuts the binding long & then stretches it as she's applying it to the neckline but it just doesn't turn out well for me. Just thought I'd share what some of the 'experts' recommend. Janet
ReplyDeleteI just want to stare at it! It's gorgeous!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful item Bunny. I love the shaping at the front, its just genius of you, as always.
ReplyDeleteMy hair is naturally white/grey, but its taking years for it to spread to the back, so I am still blonde in places where the white hasn't kicked in yet. When I put my hair up in a French pleat, I have a swirl of the white/grey going on!! I think you are going to look fabulous and cannot wait to see the transformation. We should start a campaign for grey haired foxy ladies!!
Gorgeous top and using the godets is such a clever save. Hey if it works it works! As for knit bindings, I took a patternmaking for knits class at FIT about a year ago. The teacher taught us to put the garment on a dressform and determine how much shorter to make it by gently stretching the binding around the neckline. Then you stretch as you sew. I wrote about this technique in my post "Raglan T-Shirt" on 5/24/15. I just tried to link but I am not on my home computer and am unable to. The good thing about this technique is that it takes into account the particular properties of the fabric in question.
ReplyDeleteAnother resource is a video on the Threads magazine website by Sarah Veblen entitled "A Neckline Binding for Knits" dated 10/27/2008. It is basically the same technique but on a flat table, not a dressform.
The top is adorable and certainly unique! I have the Craftsy class in knit tops by the Tiltons but it will have to wait until I move and get the studio set up, which should be in about a month now.
ReplyDeleteHow I grew out my hair:
1. I have naturally black hair, but was coloring it brown, which I didn’t really like. It was about chin length, cut in a slightly layered bob. I had my hairdresser start using the washable color, instead of the permanent.
2. Once the washable color segment had grown long enough for a short cut, I had him cut off all of the permanent colored hair.
3. Then I stopped coloring altogether, and let the washable fade out while the natural salt and pepper grew in. Each time I got a new cut, I had a greater proportion of natural salt and pepper compared to the brown and greyish brown that had been colored with the washable color.
4. After about two years, the colored portion was all grown out, and I love it. I actually get quite a few compliments on my color, and I notice that here in Northern Colorado there a quite a few 60ish ladies who have let their natural hair color grow out, compared to Southern California, where I used to live.
Good luck on the hair!
outta the park Bunny.
ReplyDeleteThe top is really a pretty shape and I find the way you have managed the alterations quite ingenious. But most of all I am so excited about your hair. Like most of the ladies here I am so pleased with my new (natural) hair colour. The grey is really bluish, silvery grey which suits me much better than the warm, yellowy blonde that I chose for decades. I find it works much better with silver, the cool blues and pure whites that I love the best. I have a hunch you may find the same thing and you will drop the warm browns and peachy shades (which suit your brown hair), and go towards the blue based colours.
ReplyDeleteThe top is really a pretty shape and I find the way you have managed the alterations quite ingenious. But most of all I am so excited about your hair. Like most of the ladies here I am so pleased with my new (natural) hair colour. The grey is really bluish, silvery grey which suits me much better than the warm, yellowy blonde that I chose for decades. I find it works much better with silver, the cool blues and pure whites that I love the best. I have a hunch you may find the same thing and you will drop the warm browns and peachy shades (which suit your brown hair), and go towards the blue based colours.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these garments are so stinkin' cute! Love them both so much.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing top - the redesign, fit, and fabric choices. Nice work! I hear you on the hair grow-out. I've chickened out twice in the last couple years, but it's coming :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful fabric! I love the fit and the style of the top.
ReplyDeleteGreat top! The fit looks good from here, but obviously I can't tell how it feels on your body. That's a great fabric find at the thrift store!
ReplyDeleteI never use the pattern piece for a neck band. Knits vary so much not just in stretch, but weight and both affect how they will make a neckband. The only thing I'll do is measure the width and cut a band that wide and long enough to fit the neck and then some extra to make ti easy to fit. You can use a percentage of the circumference but that's kind of hit or miss too. I like Sarah Veblen's method of folding it in half lengthwise and then in half ends meeting. Mark the cf and put the fold there, raw edges up. Then laying it on the seam line I stretch it slightly for fabrics with lots of lycra to more for less stretchy fabrics and work my way around to the cb. mark it, add sas and cut. Then I seam it and put it on in the round. Quartering both the neckline and the band. I do not like using the open shoulder method. It's maybe easier but I don't like the results. I generally prefer to use a single binding which is cut 4" longer than the seamline. It's from Lynda Maynard's Couture book. It works all the time but it tends to be narrower. Oh, if using a neckband I machine baste it first to make sure that it works then I either sew it on or serge it. There is or was a Sarah Veblen video on the Threads site. Very good and easy.
That's really helpful, Nancy. Thanks so much.
Delete