Sunday, July 24, 2011

New Look 6034 Top

Hello all!  My New Look 6034 top is all done!  Remember WAYY back when I posted this lovely sketch of my plans for sewing this top up:


It is only 1/2 of my "Sweatsuit Alternative" outfit I am making for the Tim Gunn Sew Along, and I did get side-tracked for a few months, but I am back on track.  Here it is hanging in my sewing room (closet):


It looks much like the front of the pattern envelope with the exception of the pockets, which I left off.


The fabric I used is a striped jersey knit, that I believe was a polyester blend.  Anyhow, the feel of this fabric is very smooth, with a slight sheen to it.  The contrasting solid red fabric was also a jersey knit, though a cotton/lycra blend.  The polyester fabric was more slippery, so it was a little difficult to work with, but not anything too challenging.  

They should call this pattern "fun with facings" because the armhole bands and neckline bands were all made by adding a facing.  The upside to this was I began to know what to expect early on, but the downside was how much time I spent on this garment.



I must say some of that time spent was my fault, though.  It seems when you do not sew often, you tend to forget the most basic of information!  I thought I would be fine not marking the right and wrong sides of the fabric, until I sewed the right and wrong sides of the armhole band together!  I was frustrated, and instead of removing the stitching, I trimmed the seam off and sewed it the right way.  So, my armhole bands are actually a little smaller in width that they are supposed to be, but it turned out to be a feature I like!

I would definitely say this shirt is in the "easy" category.  You can expect to do lots of facing work as I stated earlier, some gathering on the front and back neckline, understitching, topstitching and hemming.  I used my stretch stitch the majority of the time because I have misplaced my twin needles (which I LOVE, and need to buy more), and I finished most of the raw edges with my serger.

Hemming using my machine's stretch stich
All in all, this shirt was worth my time.  The end result is very nice!


This top is perfect for all things summer!  I love the bright colors, the airiness, the length that goes perfect with leggings, and the pure comfort of it!  With all the time it took me to make this one top, I could have had three or four different ones like it already!


The only teeny change I would make if I sew another one of these tops, is to add about a 1/2 inch to the length. Right now the top hits me right at my hips, but another 1/2 inch would be great.  It's not something to gripe about at all, just a consideration for the future.  As far as the back goes, I really must learn how to adjust patterns for my full sized booty!


Does anyone know if an SBA would work?  Just sayin'!  It looks like I have a little shelf for fabric back there = ).

Oh yeah, I guess I should tell you that I sewed a size 12 according to the finished measurements, but the ease in this top was too much for my liking.  I wanted a more form-fitting silhouette so I ended up tweaking the fit as I went and taking out close to an inch on both sides!  If not, I would have been in muu-muu city, and that is not where I wanted to end up.  I can't remember what I did for the neckline/armholes, but I had to take a good take a approximately 1/2" off at the seams in order for everything to fit and not gape.

Well, that concludes NL6034 top.  I am now working on the stretch denim jeggings, but I hope they do not take nearly as much time as the top.  I am using the black pictured leggings as a reference, as I remember from Kyle that these run big as well.

Since it wouldn't be proper for me to end this post with a shot of my rear end, I leave you with one more pic, and a thank you to my hubby for his patience (a camera with a tripod is in the near future)...


Enjoy your weekend, and Stay sew-filled!

10 comments:

  1. I love your top on you Vanessa!

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  2. Very pretty top - I love the striped fabric and the contrast that you have used. It looks like you have done an excellent job with the construction and now that you have had the practice, the next one won't take you as long! You look lovely in it, from all views!

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  3. Hi Vanessa,
    Thanks again for your warm wishes and comments on my blog! I totally appreciate them!
    Your shirt looks GREAT! The facings look like they would be a real pain to sew and very fiddly. You did a great job with them.
    It looks like you could use a little swayback adjustment but it doesn't look bad without it.
    I still haven't gotten back to the leggings. I was thinking of just buying long leggings for tall people from, say, Target, and putting in some elastic to rouche the bottom, and call 'em done. LOL!

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  4. That is a really pretty top. I love the neckline.

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  5. This is a lovely top, and it fits you perfectly!

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  6. I like the neckline and overall style on you! Your top is more enticing than what is on the envelope.

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  7. Thanks for all the nice comments!

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  8. Vanessa, thanks so much for stopping by my blog and your kind comments!

    I love this top...you did an awesome job, it was worth the time it took. I think this might be a good candidate for my vacation wardrobe too! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  9. Very, very cute! The finish on the inside is so neat. Now I want a new sewing machine :)

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  10. Great job Vanessa! The top turned out super cute and I am grateful for your fitting tips on this. They will come in handy.

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Let me know what you think!