Portrait Blouse in Strawberry Print Knit

While in Palm Springs teaching at Heather Ross's workshop last week, I took advantage of a few quiet moments to whip up a top! This is Heather's own Briar Rose strawberry print in a jersey knit. It's a stable knit, kind of like an interlock, so I decided to experiment with using it in place of a woven. I used the Portrait Blouse pattern that's included in my book. 

Wow, that was a few hairstyles ago. In the book, the top is made in a silk charmeuse. I found that I could easily replace that with a stable knit. The best part? No side zipper required! The knit makes it stretchy enough to get over one's body. 

I changed the neckline slightly by making it lower and a bit more U-shaped. I finished the neckline with a 1/2" binding rather than the facing that's included with the pattern. 

Pretty much everything else about the construction was exactly the same as detailed in the book. The only exception is that I used a very narrow zigzag stitch (.5 mm wide) on the sleeve and lower hems to allow the fabric to stretch. 

I kept the bust darts and waistline dart tucks for shaping. All in all, it makes a great casual top sewn in a knit. Perfect for layering under cardigans and such. Give it a try on nice firm knit--nothing too slinky or unstable like a single jersey.