Another Knit Top

Here's my second version of Simplicity 4076. This one has the same cut as my first top, in respect to the neckline and lengthened hem (see the details here), except this time around, I allowed a for bit more ease and tried a sleeve variation.





The fabric is a bright orange, cotton/lycra jersey knit from Fashion Fabrics Club. It actually has a bit more stretch than the material for the last top, and it's also "slinkier" than the other because it stretches in both lengthwise and crosswise directions. I pretreated it by machine washing and drying it twice to eliminate any significant shrinkage.

To construct the top, I followed the same basic steps as I did for the last one, but I wanted to have a little more wearing ease in the armhole and side seams, so I stitched using a 1/2" seam allowance instead of 5/8." Also, to stabilize the shoulder seams, I used clear elastic instead of seam binding.



When I altered the pattern for the sleeve, my original intent was to gather only the top part of the sleeve. I altered the pattern as pictured below:



My plans changed after I'd hemmed and set the sleeves; their fit was looser than I'd hoped, and they were a little droopy. :-( I decided to pick out the hem stitches and gather the lower edge to a band, similar to the finish of the neckline. In a way, I'm kind of glad it ended up happening as it did because I actually like the sleeve bands better.

Brown Knit Top

This is a brown and tan printed top, which I completed early last week, using Simplicity 4076 (view D) and a length of polyester jersey. As evidenced by the other projects I've posted, I haven't sewn much with knit materials in the past, mostly due to negative experiences in which my machine stretched them beyond recovery. Late last year, however, I was able to acquire a four-thread serger/overlock machine, which, coupled with a need for more tops and blouses, has given me a bit of incentive to try knit fabrics once again.



Pattern Changes
Since this top basically fits like a T-shirt, I didn't really need to make any fitting adjustments; my focus was more on learning to construct a garment with knit fabric. I did lengthen it by nearly three inches at the hemline, though, as well as bringing up the front of the neckline slightly. To raise it, I cut the neckline along the line for the largest size at the center front and blended it with the lines of the size ten, as shown below.



This caused the neckline opening to become slightly smaller, so I trimmed the neckband piece by about 1.5" to 2" to compensate for the loss of length.


Construction
When constructing the top, I followed the instructions provided with the pattern, except for the portion on setting the sleeves. The pattern recommends assembling the sleeves and main part of the garment separately, then setting the sleeve "in the round," but I found it easier to hem the sleeve, set it into the armhole, and then stitch the underarm and the garment's side in one continuous seam. When the seams were complete, I pressed them toward the back of the garment and topstitched them in place at the hems of the sleeves, as often seen in ready-to-wear (the topstitching is barely visible in the photo below).



Working with the Fabric
Prior to stitching into the actual garment pieces, I spent some time testing scraps of the fabric on both machines to become more familiar with the knit material and adjust the stitches and settings. Once everything was finally ready, assembling this top was fairly simple.

When sewing all of the seams, I used a four-thread overlock stitch on the serger. With some of the seams, such as the neckline and armholes, I found it helpful to set the differential feed at 0.3 to slightly ease in the fabric. The easing didn't show in the finished garment because the fabric was only being eased enough to counteract the stretching that would have been caused by the feed dogs, had they been at the normal setting.

When working with the sewing machine, I used the straight-stitch foot for the basting and topstitching; the foot's narrow hole for the needle helped prevent the needle from pulling the fabric up and down. In order to prevent the fabric from stretching too much, it also helped to reduce the the pressure of the presser foot. The hems were sewn with a twin needle, using a stretch stitch - not the triple-stitch type, but one that greatly resembles a zigzag stitch, where the needle doubles back with each stitch it takes forward. Finally, I also hand-wound a bobbin with wooly nylon thread to lend the hems a bit of stretch.

In Conclusion, I think I actually had a bit of fun experimenting with knits. It seems that once the stitching and construction issues are resolved, this type of material can be somewhat forgiving in the way it fits the body. Aside from preferring just a tiny bit more "wiggle room" at the side seams, I'm pleased with the outcome of the pattern. And since it never hurts to get more practice, I might just find myself using knits again in near the future. :-)