Monday, July 07, 2008

Sewing today-July 7

My vaca days started off well. I completed the Marcy Tilton T-Vogue 8794. It was a great sewing challenge, BUT, I am not real happy with the outcome. It has nothing to do with the pattern I really should have used a different knit.



I am not sure what would be the best pattern to use for this knit. It is a jersey knit that I purchased from Gorgeous Fabrics. This is the softest and very tactile pleasing knit I have handled. It just was not the right knit for this pattern, IMHO. It was difficult to sew without the aid of some sort of stabilizer to get a good topstitch. This is a clingy knit as well and I think one needs to be slimmer and toner than I am to wear it well.


Having said all of that, here are some photos of me wearing the top before I fully changed to go to CURVES. The back is designed to be longer than the front so that is not an alignment error!





Here is a photo of the pattern laid out on the fabric so you can get an idea of what one of the pattern pieces look like.


Each piece is cut on a single layer of fabric and as the photo shows it is oddly shaped. The pattern instructions are very good and I referred to them as I went along. The front pieces are overlaid onto each other and you have to match up markings so you need to make sure to make good marks on the fabric by whatever method you use. These markings make sure that each piece gets sewn together correctly. Marcy suggests using adhesive spray on the fabric edges to assist in overlaying and aligning. I did not do this until I got to the hem. I just pinned and marked and this worked okay for me. I think using the adhesive is good idea but you need to be cautious in spraying the fabric edges so as not to over spray and need a protective box or something for the spray.

I found the pattern to run large so I adjusted the width and length of each piece. This requires making sure that the corresponding piece aligns and adjustments match on each piece. If you like puzzles, and I do, then you will enjoy this.

The pieces are overlaid, stitched and raw or unfinished edges are left exposed. With the knit I used I just don't think the unfinished edges look good. With my classic style, the exposed edges is a strong contrast to what I normally wear. This may be impacting my feelings about this top. Yet, that is what appealed to me when I purchased it.

The sleeves are cut on thus result in a kimono style sleeve. I am not sure that is a good look for me either. I may give this pattern a try again later. I will wear the top for very casual wear and see if it grows on me.

2 comments:

  1. Have you checked on Marci Tilton's website. She carries some jersey that she recommends for these tops. She recently sent me some samples and it's definitely a beefier weight than the fabric you used.

    I like the top! It looks like a fun pattern.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been reluctant to make this one due to finding the right fabric. I do think it is a fun pattern. You did a nice job on the "fussy fabric."

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