Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The Olive Fabric Comes to Life!

Oh - this is officially my favorite thing I've ever made (a Jalie top I'll review when I can get some decent pictures)! I love the fabric and the shirt style is so CUTE! I wore it at dinner last night (Dean cooked a new dish - marinated tofu in peanut sauce with a touch of jalapeno over Asian noodles - yum!) and I'm wearing it for errands this afternoon. It sewed up really quick - about 4-5 hours over 3-4 days which is fast for me. I feel like Katie, who sews one or two items every day! (So yeah, not really like Katie, but kind of like Katie if she was hypothyroid maybe.)


Now, it's a rayon lycra blend from All About Sewing, my local store, so think pantyhose. That's what it felt like when I was sewing it, and my machine found it quite delicious. The first time it ate the fabric I thought I broke it again because it shuddered and gave me a "safety mechanism enacted" message. Luckily it had just swallowed a lot of fabric, which it regurgitated uneventfully, but that happened enough times when I was near the edge of the fabric that I started sewing seams in the middle.


I've decided I'm not a big fan of these particular pants anymore, though, because they seem to have shrunk now and are too short. The flare at the bottom also looks weird. That may be my fabric, because I still have the 2nd pair I was working on that I lengthened and I'm still loving them - just need to hem and wasteband them.


Okay, well that's it. I don't have anything funny or insightful to say. Oh, I was going to comment that this top seems to work well for the endowed as well as the bony. The gathering at center front suggests something's rising from the barren landscape, even though there's no cleavage to see. How can that be? If you're new here you may have missed the secret of my success. Over and out.

8 comments:

KID, MD said...

Love it!! The fabric is way cute, and it sounds like it went together nicely despite your machine liking to munch on it. Those 1/4 inch seam allowances don't leave you much room for error. This makes me want to go sew up another of these...

gwensews said...

Great top! That can easily be a TNT for you. Perhaps next time you can put a little pocket on the front to hold your stethoscope. That way you won't have another wardrobe malfunction!

Junior said...

The 2nd picture gives a clearer view of the neckline.....very nice!

Dr. Fun (AKA Sister) said...

Yes, Katie, the seam allowances make me nervous - but it was stretchy fabric at least. And Gwen, you always make me laugh out loud - why didn't I think of a stethoscope pocket????

Now here's a question: how the hell do you topstitch a knit? I did the usual 2-row straight stitch (3.5 mm) on the sleeves and they're like ligatures. So for the hem which I knew was going over THESE hips, I did my knit zig-zaggy thing, which stretches, but doesn't look like your usual topstitching. Help?

Pam said...

I love this top - ever since you mentioned you finished it - I've been waiting with anticipation. I think the fit and fabric are enchanting!

BTW, I topstitched on my knit top with a 3.0mm straight stitch (but the seams are zig zagged). . . but had major problem with getting the twin stitch hem on the hem sleeve straight.

Jester said...

You are correct! Those 1/4" seams make for tight tolerances.
As for topstitching a knit, if you're sewing a soft knit without much body, topstitching the hem, especially with a twin needle, may result in tunneling and rippled edges, since knits stretch more on the crossgrain. My solution is to stabilize the hem with strips of fusible interfacing, which also anchor the hem during stitching. I prefer the results I get with two rows of topstitching rather than twin-needle stitching.
Just my two-cents worth! Hope this helps!

Dr. Fun (AKA Sister) said...

Now where the hell did you cut'n'paste that from Scott? Nicely done! Though "tight tolerances" sounds made up, but you tried.

Ann Made Studio said...

Your top looks great on you. It is such a nice pattern, I just love the style and fit.