New to Knits

For a long time I was both very eager and very apprehensive to try sewing with knits. The easier fit is extremely attractive and much of my rtw wardrobe consists of knits so they are in my comfort zone. I heard so many horror stories, however, about sewing with knits. Finally I decided to give it a try. This fabric for this top is pretty cheap and crappy, but I liked the color and for a first attempt the price was right (not to mention that there is not an overabundance of quality fabric stores in my area).

For my first venture with knits I used the free minimalist cowl pattern from The Selfish Seamstress. (If you are not familiar with Ms. Selfish you must check out her blog. I've been seriously missing her snarky sass during her move to Europe).

Overall my first attempt went pretty well. The shirt is wearable, but as always I learned some lessons along the way. I used a twin needle to finish the edges. I need to do a better job of adjusting the tension next time to avoid the tunneling, but I'm very excited about the more professional/rtw look that it gives to the finished garment. Next time I make this top (and there will be many next times) I probably won't finish the edge of the cowl at all.

One of the biggest problems I had was adjusting the length. I tower a full ten inches over the Selfish Seamstress' mere sixty inch height. While I did add enough length, I added it all to the lower part of the garment. I really needed to add some of it above the bust. The arm openings are way too small and cause a lot of wrinkling in the shoulders and discomfort under the arms. Oops.

I love the Selfish Seamstress' style and she offers a number of patterns she has drafted as free downloads. Unfortunately I am not petite and don't yet have the confidence to grade more involved patterns up to my size. Her coffee date dress, which is available in a multi-size pattern, is going to be one of my upcoming projects. I even get the bonus of extra instructions because Grosgrain used it as one of her Frock by Friday projects.