Another Vogue 2925...Semi-Formal knit top completed

Can you stand to see another knit top from Vogue? Since I was on a roll with this top, I decided to make another using a fancy slinky knit that reminds me of lace. It only took an hour to whip up this fancy schmancy top. I bought this at G-Street Fabrics over the summer and I had a "V-8" moment. I already had this exact fabric in my stash...thanks to EmmaOneSock. If I remember right, this was a Chico's knit.

I plan on wearing this top to a fancy gala next summer. This puts the pressure off of wondering what to make at the last minute. Now, all I need to do is make one more formal something and I have 7 more months to figure that one out.

I love how a plan comes halfway together.

Yarn Projects

This morning, I took a break from my sewing adventure and went "browsing" at my local mom & pop yarn shop. I browsed through their books and touched all their yarns.

While at the shop, I purchased two bamboo circular knitting needles to eventually make this mini cardigan. I found this Easy Little Cardigan over at Craft Stylish. They give a really nice tutorial along with pictures of some of the steps.

I went over to Lion Brand's site and came across the same Easy Cardigan instructions that you can download.

I am waiting for another Lion Brand Wool Ease Quick & Thick yarn sale to pick up the yarns I need for this cute project.

Update: I just realized where I saw this cute little cardigan. It was at Deepika's blog and here at the Pattern Review-knitting message board.

In the works:
I am still working on my 2nd pair of fingerless gloves that I'm knitting in rose color. It's slow going, because I have too many hobbies in the works this week. So, what do I do? I add another knitting project.


I am getting ready to start this Easy Cable Scarf I found at Craft Stylish. I have a rose/pink color yarn that would really show off the cable stitches. It does look like a quick project and I want to master the cable stitch or at least feel comfortable to knit it without the instructions staring me in the face.

Well, back to my sewing.

BWOF and Vogue on Me

Here is my BWOF knit tunic. I made the smallest size 38 which turned out to be quite big on me. I am wearing a black slinky knit tank top that I made last year underneath the tunic. I still have quite a bit of room.

I'm thinking of trimming off my seam allowances that I added to my pattern and giving this top another try. Maybe with a less stretchy knit fabric. What do you BWOF experts think?

Here I am modeling my new TNT V2925 in a size 12. The finished bust was about 34 inches. I am extremely happy with this size. Better fit and not snug at all like the size 10 version.

Both of of my latest sewing adventures are posted on PatternReview.com.

BWOF 12-2008-113...completed

Okay, I've completed my first BWOF garment. I have to say, it was a very rewarding experiment experience. This is the beginning of a new adventure for me.



Here is my knit tunic on SusieQ. I made a size 38. It is quite loose fitting on me. I can actually wear a fitted t-shirt underneath. Looking at the pictures (models) in the magazine, this tunic is meant to be worn over a shirt/garment. That explains the fit.

My neckline appears to be very low in comparison to the line drawing provided below. I'll have to double check the pattern I traced...maybe operator error.



Just as everyone has mentioned, the BWOF instructions are very skimpy. Dawn, thanks for leaving your BWOF comment/suggestion. I ended up following my sewing intuition. I had to read between the missing lines to figure out the sewing instructions and use my own sewing experience to come up with my own sewing steps.

I will back tomorrow to post a picture of me wearing the tunic. A PR will be posted soon after.

Another Vogue 2925...completed

Here's another wonderful version of Vogue 2925 knit top. This one is in a size 12. The fit is much better. Not as snug as the size 10. No alterations were needed. For the side seams I did sew a 3/8 inch seam allowance.

Does the fabric look familiar? I had made a long New Look knit skirt earlier this year and reviewed it on PR. I had enough fabric left over to make this top. I love the idea that I now have a matching two piece outfit.



Here are the pleats pinned at the shoulder. Instead of trying to mark the fabric with chalk or pencil, I use my pins to mark the pleat lines. Then I carefully fold over, matching the pins to create the pleat. I use a third pin to hold down the pleat until I baste it in place.





Here I am stitching the front shoulder seam. I also place a 1/4 inch twill tape in the stitching area. I find the twill tape does a great job stabilizing the seams.

I have serged the shoulder seam and made sure the serger has caught the twilll tape:


Here's a view of one of the shoulder seams completed. At this point I go ahead and serge the hem areas (neckline & armhole):


For the finished neckline, I turn over the neckline 3/8 inches (instead of 5/8 from pattern instructions) and pin. Notice the neckline is smooth:


Another TNT top is finished. I have a fantastic slinky knit that looks like lace that would be perfect for a dressy version.

I will be back later to post a picture of me wearing this new knit top and with the skirt I made this year.

What's Up for the Next Few Days? Sewing of Course!

It's Friday evening and I'm officially off from work for the next two weeks. I went to Hancock's and caught their Vogue sale. I was able to get the larger size pattern for V2925. So, on my cutting table is a size 12 version of the knit top.

I wanted to practice sew a few more knit tops before I tackle my first BWOF, the 12-2008-113 pleated knit top. My ability to sew with knits is still a bit messy right now. I should not have gone so long without sewing a knit-something over the last year. Shame on me. I was looking at my BWOF fabric pieces and realized I had a problem. Something didn't look right. I went back to the instructions and smacked my silly forehead. I had cut out the neckband wrong. Not on the fold and not along the width of the fabric. It's probably a good sign that I needed to cut out a contrast neckband instead...which was my original plan. I know, it looks like I'm procrastinating on my BWOF project. My goal is to get it started this weekend.

I also sewed up a knit top from New Look 6735. Bad news for me...it was a wadder. I know, this knit top pattern received rave reviews on PatternReview.com and it's in the running for "One of the Best Patterns for 2008" and I couldn't get my first attempt to come out right. I cut out a size 10 when I should have used a size 12. It didn't look good on me. I also used an inexpensive jersey fabric...something that screamed "what was I thinking" when I bought this fabric? So, I need to dive into my fabric stash and come up with a fabulous fabric to get me out of this New Look rut.

It's been hard for me to get back into sewing knit tops. I am trying to stay away from my TNT KwikSew and Stretch and Sew knit patterns and expanding my horizons with Vogue, New Look, and eventually BWOF. Here again, I feel the need for a challenge instead of going back to my "safe" patterns.

For the next few days, I will be in my sewing room. In sheer bliss and the hum of my sewing machine.

***********

I wanted to add, that I'm looking for a knitting/yarn bag pattern. Not a regular rectangle tote bag, but a cylinder bag that can hold a ball or skein of yarn. I am looking for a quick and easy pattern to make for myself and for some friends. Please let me know.

My New Knitted Ensemble

Here's my first knitted ensemble. Complete with scarf and fingerless gloves/wrist warmers. All the yarns used are Wool Ease from Lion Brand. The two colors I used was Black and Denim Twist. For the scarf, I used both the Black and Denim (two yarns) to make it heavier. You can see my gloves are not the same color pattern. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was running low on the Denim yarn so I ended up knitting the cuff in that color and then finishing with the Black yarn.

The gloves are wonderful and don't get in my way when I'm typing at my keyboard. My hands stay nice and warm.

I thought these two color combinations would make a nice looking sweater for a future project (when I advance my skills). I went to Michael's to catch their Wool Ease sale. The Black was sold out. The Denim Twist was no where to be found. No Denim Twist at Hancock's either.

Well, I'm off to dig around in my yarn stash to find a rose colored yarn to make another pair of gloves.

Vogue 2925...Knit Top

I know...it's about time I started posting something about my sewing. Well, I am having a very productive sewing day. First, I managed to cut the fabric for my BWOF 12-2008-113 knit top. It is in my sewing queue ready to be stitched up.

Here is what I am working on now:


This the infamous Vogue 2925 ensemble pattern. I made the knit top. Can I mention that it was super easy?






Here's my knit top on SusieQ. I love the pleats at the front shoulder areas. I traced and cut a size 10. I found that the top was a bit snug using the 5/8 inch seam allowances. So I ripped out the side seams and re-sewed with 1/4 inch seams. A much better fit.

I absolutely love the neckline shape. It covers my front chest area nicely. The front shoulder pleats were easy to sew. The only time consuming part was folding over the neckline area and armholes and topstitching.

I still have to hem the bottom and it should be done.


My only heartache with this pattern is the size range. I bought the (6-8-10) pattern size for the knit top. If I want to make something else from this pattern (e.g. jacket, skirt), I have to purchase another pattern in size (12-14-16). Actually, I would like to try this knit top in a size 12 and I believe the next Vogue sale is this week. On my next version, I am going to add bindings to the neckline and armholes. I think it would be a nicer finish. This looks like a TNT pattern for me.