knit tops

i recently came across maria denmark's blog, no doubt after falling down the sewing blog rabbit hole. one blog leads me to another... which leads to another... and so forth. she has a great free pattern, the kirsten kimono tee, available over on craftsy.com and patternreview.com and a few other places. i immediately downloaded it for future use and pulled it out recently to make a quick top. i had this great black and white stripe fabric from girlcharlee.com which was the perfect weight for a simple not too fitted top. 

i am particularly pleased with the finishing on this one. sometimes the sewing gods are with you and sometimes they definitely are not. the pattern doesn't include seam allowances (but smartly advises you add them in before cutting out the pattern) so i added a serger-friendly 3/8" to the seams, and 3/4" to the sleeve and hem. i bound the neckline with self fabric cut on the bias for interest. typically i cut my knit bindings on the cross grain where all the stretch is, but i like the diagonal striped binding. it's a little more interesting than a solid color, yet still doesn't look jarring or irregular.

everything was top stitched with a twin needle to maintain stretch. i'm super pleased with this top. it's comfy and will no doubt get tons of use! i didn't make any pattern changes this time around (other than grading between sizes). next time i might lengthen the top by an inch and maybe curve the shoulder/sleeve seam down just a tad so it's less angular. other than that, this top is definitely a winner, quick to make and a good stash buster for the fabric hoarders among us!

this second top is mccalls 6078 which i made up months ago! it made a sneaky appearance back here but thought it deserved it's own mention. this top is also a really fast make, and is perfect for layering (hello fall). since it's put out by mccalls, it has stupid wide seam allowances and dumb finishing instructions. why can't they just do it right? instead of turning and stitching a 5/8" SA (which NEVER works) i made a narrow facing with strips of self binding and top stitched. it's super easy to do and looks way more professional.

other than my minor quibbles with the finishing, i really like this pattern. it's good for funky prints that need showing off, and i even made it into a casual dress with some fitting changes (hopefully a post for another day).

okay, i should be back with a coat muslin soon. the kiddos brought home their first virus from school so i'm a little under the weather... hopefully i can still get it done over the weekend though!

—lisa g.