I didn't sew anything in January. Maybe I can catch up by sewing 2 items this month. This cat tank top is for my daughter. I'm so glad that the tank top is wearable because my daughter likes the cat fabric very much. We bought the cotton fabric from one of the shops in Arab Street last April. Why do I take so long to get round to sewing up my fabrics? Anyway, I almost botched up the tank top by making it too small.
I traced the pattern from one of her favourite knit jersey tank tops. It's a disease, I can't seem to stop making patterns from favourite clothes. Which tends to be very much a matter of trial and error. Mostly error. In this instance, I had failed to take note of the fact that knit jersey stretches and cotton does not. So the top was too tight across the armpits. I had to unpick the seams and crack my head for a solution. The problem was that I had already cut the front and back pieces out of the 1 metre of fabric. Fortunately I could salvage it. I re-positioned the paper pattern lower down on the fabric pieces that had already been cut and re-cut the top part of the tank from the armhole upwards. Thank goodness I had cut it extra long to begin with. As it is an A-line shape, the lower part of the pattern had more width. I further extended the width by reducing the seam allowance from 1/2 inch to 1/4 inch. Disaster averted!
Worn tucked into a skirt.
Worn tucked out, it has a slight swing shape.
Note to self:
- This tank top would look cute with a peter pan collar.
- Remember to extend the armhole edge on the both the front and back pattern pieces by 3/4 inch for that much needed extra ease.
- Also, remember that I did not include seam allowance in the pattern.
Susan Khalje (couture teacher) says that the most important thing in sewing is our brains! So good thinking on your part!
ReplyDeleteI find it helpful if I cut a small snip of the fabric scrap and add it to the pattern / book along with your notes.
Love the swing shape so much, this would be completely my style, too! And what a clever job you did, ohmy, I could imagine that I would have given up when noticing it´s too small or maybe I would have enlarged it with side stripes or something similar ugly. That´s the simple reason why it always again takes me so long to finally cut into a much loved fabric, always in fear to do something wrong and completely destroy it. So I love your sewig tips and hints so much, I will keep them all in my mind for further needs (and make a note to always ask you first before starting sewing clothes!)
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week and don´t forget to sew the next design for yourself,
with my best wishes,
Suzi
Super cute! I really like the swing shape.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job again! I love the cute fabric. A Peter Pan collar for the next one is a great idea. Go for it!...
ReplyDeleteIt's really cute!! The swing shape is fantastic.
ReplyDelete