Not a Bowl of Cherries Knit Top

Last week I found a beautiful piece of aqua lightweight sweater-knit fabric in my stash.  I decided it was time to use it to make a top.  However, I did not want to use the pattern I have been using.  That pattern (McCall’s M6964) has bust darts.  I do not want bust darts in this new top because the fabric is a ribbed knit.  The fabric is made from a series of a number of knit stitches and then a number of purl stitches repeated throughout the fabric.  I think darts would be a distraction in this fabric.  I have another pattern (Kwik Sew 2900) that I have not used in a while.  It does not have darts. 

I was ready to cut out the new top while I was sewing at a friend’s house with a small group of sewers.  I did not want to take the time to thoroughly check the fit of the pattern, so I just held it up against my body and decided I needed to add ½ inch to the side seams and to the underarm seams of the sleeves.  I cut out the top and proceeded to sew it.  I think I mentioned in one of my other posts that sewing is not always a bowl of cherries.  In other words, things do not always go well.

There are a lot of variables in sewing, especially when sewing knits.  Knits do not all have the same amount of stretch.  There are other variables as well.  One is the weight of the knit.  Some are very thin; others are thick.  Some are slippery and some are stable.  All these factors play a part in the size of the pattern you need and the way the fabric will respond when you are sewing. 

The kind of needle you use in your sewing machine will also make a difference.  Usually, a ballpoint or jersey needle will work on knits.  A regular needle may also work.  If neither a regular or ballpoint needle works for you, you might try a microtex or stretch needle.  Try out the needle on a scrap of the fabric you are using before beginning to sew your garment.  I was able to use a regular size 80 needle in my machine when I sewed this top.

I sewed the shoulder seams together first and I remembered to place a piece of stabilizer in each of the shoulder seams to keep them from stretching.  You can purchase stabilizer in ½” wide rolls and it helps keep the shape of the shoulders.  I inserted the sleeves before sewing the sides together.  These went in easily without basting.  I decided to bast the side seams together because I was not sure of the fit.  I am glad I did.  It was a little large through the body.  I removed the basting and cut off the extra ½ inch I added previously.  I used my serger to serge the side seams and the underarm seams of the sleeves together. 

Next, I attempted to sew the neckband using the same technique I used in the past for most of my tee tops.  When I want a small narrow band, I like to sew a single layer of the right side of the band to the right side of the top and then fold that over to get the desired width.  I stitched in the seam on the front of the top to attach the back of the band to the top.    I had to rip out the first attempt because it looked terrible.  I got the same result with the second attempt.  The band by that time was beginning to shred.  I cut out another neckband and attached that by using a different method.  I doubled the band and sewed it to the neckline.  Then I pressed it and sewed again in the seam on the front to hold the seam down on the inside.  The finished band is about 5/8 inch wide.  I cut the band crosswise the knit because that had the most stretch.   

After hemming the bottom edge of the top and the sleeves, my “not a bowl of cherries top” was done.  I think you can see why this was not a bowl of cherries.  I had to spend some time ripping out and re-sewing, but I am glad I persevered!   I now have a nice aqua sweater-knit top that I will enjoy wearing.  A picture of the top is shown below.

 

Have you started your planning for adding items to your fall and winter wardrobe?  Have fun sewing!

Judy

 

 

 

From Blah to Something I Want to Wear!

What a busy summer!  It is difficult to find time to sew.  I know I am not the only one with this problem.  Everybody is busy.  There is always something that needs to be done either in the house or yard and we are always taking a road trip to somewhere.   I also have been busy getting Chicken Little Sews a Facebook page of its own and an Instagram account.  Both are up and running now. 

I did find time to sew a new top from one of the knit fabrics I purchased at Zink’s Fabric Outlet in Ligonier, Indiana a few weeks ago.  I love the print and the fabric is really soft so it feels comfortable when I wear it.  I added a strip of tricot iron-on interfacing to the bottom of the garment the width of the hem and also to the edge of the sleeves.  This will stabilize the hems and help the fabric to hold its shape.  A picture of the top is shown below.

 

I made another top from a light blue knit in my stash.  This top really did not want to be made.  I cut it out at least a year ago, maybe two.  I carried the pieces in my sewing bag with me to all my Wednesday sewing sessions with my friends, but I always worked on something else at those sessions.  Recently I decided to sew those pieces together.   It was a blah project.  It did not inspire me, but I pushed on with it.  Finally, a few days ago, I realized what was needed to turn that shirt from blah to something I wanted to wear.  It needed something embroidered on it.  My sewing machine also embroiders; however, I had not used that feature for quite a while.  I had to read the manual in order to retrain myself.  I spent most of a day searching for an appropriate embroidery design in my machine and then reading the manual.   At first, I was going to add the embroidery to the center front on the chest area.  At the last minute I decided to add it to the bottom to the right of the center front.  I was pleased with how the embroidery turned out.  However, there is another area of the shirt I wish looked better.  That is the neckband.  There are wrinkles in the front caused by the band not being quite long enough.    I am not willing to rip the band off and start over.  I figure I have spent enough time on this project.  It is not perfect, but I learned some lessons.  Lesson number one is to baste the neckband if you think it may not fit perfectly.  The stretch of knits varies, so the length of the band may not always be the same even if you use the same pattern.  Lesson number two is to decide if you are going to add an embroidery design before you sew the project together.  This prevents ripping the pieces apart to get the garment on the hoop.     A picture of the finished project is shown below.

 

A friend gave me a piece of fabric that presents a challenge for me.  My friend knows how much I love shoes.  She is aware I once made a black wool coat with appliqued shoes all over it!  She knows my weakness.  Now I have to think of something to make from this piece of fabric.  I am not sure if I can make a purse from this, but I may try.  Pictures of the fabric are shown below.

 

I really need to focus on starting my fall and winter wardrobe sewing.  I plan to cut out some fall projects to sew at the Lansing ASG’s sewing retreat in Shipshewana in August.  I want to use some of the fabric I bought from Zink’s.  However, I am going to give some serious consideration to what I can make from that piece of fabric Joyce gave me.  Maybe I will be able to show the finished project in my next post.

Have fun sewing!

Judy