I’ve been on a sewing knits roll lately. I predominantly sew wovens but recently I’ve been enjoying the speed in which knits can be made on the overlocker. With the recent change of season to winter, I feel the need for some basics for layering and what better way to mass produce some knits for the family.
For this chosen project I choose this gorgeous striped cotton jersey. I love a good Breton striped top. The quality of this jersey is really great and I wouldn’t hesitate to get more. It’s lovely and soft against the skin and with 5% elastane it has great stretch recovery for those snugger fitting tops. It also comes in 14 different colours, the colour I choose is rust, which I can’t get enough of!.
Cutting out this pattern was the hardest part, as I wanted to ensure all my stripes lined up. Having mismatched stripes can really break the aesthetic of a garment. With the elastane content, I was finding it tricky to line up the stripes on the fold. I decided to trace off my pattern piece so I could cut my fabric as a single layer, which really helped. After cutting my front piece I lined this up with my back pattern piece to ensure my stripes matched at the seams. I also did this with the sleeve pieces. I used a rotary cutter as didn’t want to stretch the fabric while lifting to cut with scissors. Another tip to get stripes lined up when sewing seams is to place a pin thru every few stripes ensuring they are lined up front and back. Also be sure not to pull on the fabric while sewing and use a jersey ballpoint needle. I sewed all the seams on my overlocker but a zig zag stitch on a sewing machine is also fine. I used my sewing machine for the hems. A twin needle gives a more professional finish but for some reason I never get a great result with a twin needle. It either comes undone or the fabric tunnels. I prefer to just use a long zig zag stitch at 1mm width and 3 mm length.
The pattern I used was the classic, Lark tee by Grainline Studio. This pattern has been around for sometime and is bit of a cult fav on Instagram. It’s a basic knit top that includes four different sleeve lengths and necklines to mix and match, giving a total of 16 different variations, making it great value. I went for a boat neckline and long sleeve. It came together super fast, but after finishing the side seams I wasn’t happy with the fit. I was after a more fitted top, so in a rather haphazard manner, (which I don’t recommend) I lopped off a few centimetres each side at waist level to get a slimmer fit. I also cut two inches off the length as it’s quite long, the stripes made that adjustment easy!. I then realised I had enough fabric for another tee, so made the short sleeve, crew neck variation.
I’m really happy to get a few much needed basics tees out of 1.5m of fabric! I might even be about to squeeze out a couple of pairs of cotton undies with the rest of the leftovers. These tops are going to be perfect for layering with my dungarees/jumpsuits and summer dresses. I think this fabric would also make a fabulous Mandy boat tee or Monroe turtleneck which are free patterns by Tessuti.
Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
Pins and Needles NZ 