I hope you are enjoying your weekend! I have been busy working on my Vogue 8536 top, but without much success. I am officially calling it my first wadder of the year! How about that? My first project, and my first wadder of the year, all wrapped up together.
But, if you know me, I have learned a lot from what I did wrong with this one.
This is what I ended up with:
I decided to make a long sleeved V-neck top out of a rayon jersey knit I ordered from fabric.com. The fabric is called neon orange, and it has a bright hue that grew on me the more I worked with it. It drapes nicely, and has a certain slinkiness to it, due to it's light weight.
I started out with a size 12, but quickly saw that I needed a 10 instead. So, I adjusted my pattern pieces, and was really starting to enjoy where my shirt was headed until I got to the neckline. AAAhhh, a V-neck. I didn't panic because I had sewn one before, but I made a critical error while following the directions. The neckband is cut, and marked for a 3/8 inch seam allowance, but the directions say to thread mark, then snip your garment at a 5/8 inch seam allowance! Anyhow, I made it work, and still finished the V-neck so it looked decent.
Then came my adventures with the sleeves. Boy do I need practice with sleeves. I watched one of my Craftsy classes, made sure I had everything oriented the way it should be, but still did, and re-did them. On one side I clearly eased way too much, and ended up with a gathered set-in sleeve. The other side came out great, but after reworking it so much, I ate up a lot of the fabric and ruined the fit.
For the hem and hem vent, I couldn't figure out what the directions wanted me to do, and couldn't find a great tutorial. I just sewed the edges of the hem vent and let it be. I was so frustrated! So frustrated!
(A little dramatized, but true) By this point, I looked at my hubby and said "Honey, why did I decide I would sew all my clothes this year?!?!?!? I mean, what will I wear! I'm gonna have NOTHING to wear!!!!"
I have since gathered my emotions, and can see a lot of the positives from this sewing experience. I will make this shirt again. Soon. Real soon. Like, I am already cutting out another V-neck in a different fabric. I love the fit of the shirt, and it has real potential. The slight gathering on the sides of the top are adorable--I just chose something that didn't work out well. Yet I refuse to be discouraged. I definitely think this can be turned into a "win."
As for what I will do with this shirt? I am thinking about using it for my workouts. I like to do a lot of running, and it will be great to wear during the warmer months, because rayon retains a lot of moisture.
Stay sew-filled!
Aww :/ we've all had those frustrating moments. Love the color on you! I'm sure the new version will be great.
ReplyDeleteTip: on knits, set your sleeve in flat.
Sew your shoulder seam, gather the sleeve, pin to the top and stitch. Then sew the sleeve seam and side seam in one long continuous seam
Vanessa, that color is great on you!! I love it!
ReplyDeleteAs for the issues you had, honestly it sounds like a poorly drafted pattern. Removing the SA from the neckline? Why didn't they just remove it from the pattern from the get go?
And having excess ease in the sleeve cap is something that the "Big 4" are notorious for. Sarah from Goodbye Valentino posted a tip here; scroll down to the bottom of the post.
http://goodbyevalentino.com/2013/12/24/4245/
That'll remove the excess ease & I agree with MrsSmith, I always set my knit sleeves in flat. :)
This color is gorgeous on you, I'm sorry you had issues with the sleeves. I agree with Jenna and Mrs. Smith about setting your sleeves in flat. I still think that this is a pretty top!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the mishaps, we all have them too! Maybe sewing the sleeves in flat when using knits will work better for you. Give it a try next time. Good luck on your next garment. By the way, I love the fabric and color!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your comments! I agree that the consensus of a flat sleeve construction is a good one. I usually use this method also, but did not for this garment. I will try it this second go round and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteI think your shirt looks great! I don't see the problems you are referring to. I watched a lot of the Tilton's class and I saw the way they gather the sleeve and set it in, but I prefer to set the sleeve in flat.
ReplyDeleteLast spring I almost gave up sewing. It is frustrating!! but when it works it is so rewarding!
Learning from mistakes can be the best lessons. That has been my whole sewing experience. I think the color is great on you!
ReplyDeleteThat shirt is a great color on you. Despite all the hiccups, the shirt fits well...which is most important. All the other things can be worked out in future versions :)
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