Make This Top! Free Vintage-Inspired Knit Project

I've wanted to do a tutorial for a simple knit top for the longest time! Well, Joann Fabrics asked me to do a free project to coincide with the release of my new fabric line, which includes knits. So this seemed like the perfect time to finally make this thing happen. 

I'm happy to share the Simple Knit Top project, with free instructions on the Joann site. This sample is made in my new Rayon Spandex Floral Knit in purple (also available in red and gray). This knit is surprisingly easy to sew with, and it has a lovely drape and hand. 

The top takes an hour or even less to make! What makes it so easy is that it's just two rectangles sewn together, with openings left for the neck and arms. The dimesions on the Joann site are for roughly a size medium, but you can adjust them depending on your shoulder and hip width. (If this doesn't make sense, don't worry: I'm planning a post with more detailed instructions with photos.)

It's a great top for layering and pairing with a '50s style skirt (either slim or full).

Stayed tuned for another post on this, and check out the project on Joann in the meantime!

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. 

The Winner of the Nancy Zieman Knits Prize Is . . .

. . . The Garment Farmer! She will win the book Sew Knits with Confidence by Nancy Zieman, as well as all four of Nancy's new patterns, which are designed specifically for knits. See the giveaway post here. We had a healthy 637 entries!

It was a real honor to be included in Nancy's blog tour! You can see the original post here, which links to the other participants. I loved seeing what everyone did with these patterns.

Nancy Zieman's Santa Fe Dress Pattern (with Giveaway!)

Well, I am just tickled pink (ha!) to have been asked to participate in the blog tour of one of my sewing heroines, Nancy Zieman herself. She's launching a new book, Sew Knits with Confidence, as well as four new patterns specifically designed for knits. Read on for my version of her knit dress design, plus a lovely giveaway of the book and all four patterns!

Nancy's publisher sent me a copy of the book plus the patterns, so that I could choose one to make. I was super excited to read Nancy's tips on sewing with knits--they've become more and more part of my wardrobe, fabric stash, and plans for my own next book, which has a casual twist. But I was also very impressed by the four patterns. I think there's something for every type of seamstress in this selection. I chose the Santa Fe dress, mostly because it reminded me of a simple knit dress I owned from Anthropologie and wore til its tragic death.

But I was also incredibly tempted by the skirt and top in the Monterey collection. So cute!

The dress won out, probably because I'm in a summer wardrobe state of mind. But both these patterns provide particular opportunities for the retro-loving seamstress, in my opinion. I chose view A of the Santa Fe, which is dress-length and sleeveless. For my fabric, I used a black organic cotton jersey (purchased here and highly recommended).

First let me say this is a FAST project. I started cutting it at 2:30 in the afternoon, and was setting up my camera to take pictures at 4:30--and that includes time for fitting and style changes!

I chose to make the size small, knowing from experience that I like my knits to have little to no ease. However, I used the length and flare of the XL size, since I like my skirts swingy and on the longer side.

The bodice came together super quickly.

When trying it on, I found an easy way to "retro-fy" this design: pinching the neckline pleats to each side and stitching them in place to make a sweetheart neckline.

While I do like the original design very much, I think this small change makes it way more me. 

Seriously, all I did was pull the neckline pleats to the side in a pinch. Then I used some black embroidery floss to stitch it in place by wrapping it around the pinch. You could also add buttons or small brooches here!

The other change I made was to nip the dress in at the waist. It had a very flowy empire silhouette and I knew a more dramatic waistline would work well for me. I started by chalking in just an inch on each side, machine basting it, and then trying on. I eventually took two inches out of each waistline side, tapering down in a straight line to the hem (I got rid of that hip curve you see below since it has a distinctly fin-like appearance on the body).

Here's the overall result. Hopefully Nancy won't shun me for bastardizing her pattern! The changes were fairly small but resulted in a garment I'm in love with.

Easy to dress up or down, and all sorts of other fashion clichés that I won't subject you to.

The back has a basic high scoop neckline.

The pattern instructions were great, explaining all the ins and outs of sewing with knits. I learned that jersey curls to the right side of the fabric--good to know!

I love the little notes from Nancy throughout! She tells you how to sew with either a sewing machine or serger, and even specifies when to use one over the other (for instance, she suggests sewing the bodice pleats on the machine for more control, then switching to the serger for easier bits like  the side seams). I did use my serger, but it's definitely not necessary.

I'll definitely be sewing this dress again since it's perfect for summer (and for standing awkwardly with armchair).

Okay, now for the giveaway! Nancy's publisher provided me with a copy of the new book Sew Knits with Confidence as well as ALL four new patterns to give to one lucky reader. Please leave a comment here by the end of the day on Wednesday, April 24th. All countries eligible. Make sure that you link to your blog or include a way for me to get in touch with you in your comment!

I'm going to be eagerly following the blog tour to see what everyone else comes up with. Good luck in the giveaway!

Update: the giveaway is now closed for entries. See the winner here!

I Sewed a Sweater!

Here's a finished garment that I totally didn't blog about, can you believe it? I picked up some great Nanette Lepore ribbed sweater knit at the Haberman Fabrics booth at ASE (hey, it's available online!). I'd never sewn this kind of knit before, but I just did a little research and it was surprisingly easy. It helped that this particular knit is very stable--it doesn't stretch a ton and it didn't fray too much as I was working with it.

The pattern was the challenging part. I knew exactly what I wanted: a sort of "sweater girl" look with cute short sleeves. So I did something I've never done before: I draped the pattern, in the garment fabric! I draped the front and back separately, marking the seam lines with chalk. Then I basted them together on the seamlines to fit it. Once I was happy with the fit, I serged the seams. I borrowed the sleeve pattern from a knit dress pattern I have on hand, and measured carefully to be sure that it would fit properly (knit sleeves have no ease, so it had to be a precise fit).

I learned from my research that it's very important to stabilize any horizontal seams, so I basted some Stay Tape into the shoulder seam before serging it.

The neck binding worked really well in the fabric, since it's a rib. I just cut a piece of fabric a little smaller than the sweater neck and twice the width I wanted the binding. I serged the short ends together, folded it in half wrong sides together, and basted the raw edges together. Then it just gets serged into the neckline. Easy! The last step is to top stitch to get the binding to lay flat. The pro way to do this is to use a twin needle, and stitch with the neckline seam in the middle of the two needles. I just used a zigzag, though, because I was too lazy to set up my twin needle.

I did the hem on the bottom and the sleeves by turning it up and zigzagging. I tested this method first, and it worked well since the stitches really disappear in this knit.

I'm happy I now have a paper pattern for this, because I feel like I could use one in every color of the rainbow. Probably in a softer fabric--the ribbed wool is a little itchy to wear so close-fitting. It will be interesting to see how different types of knits work for this.

So there you have it. Isn't it so cool that you can sew a sweater?

Guest Post: Draping a Knit Cowl Dress with Alyson Clair

This is the start of a fascinating new series with our favorite knits expert and all around awesome lady Alyson Clair. Check back soon for the rest of the series. And hey! Go look at Alyson's lovely new Fall/Winter line. It's fab.—Gertie

Greetings again from Portland, Oregon. I hope all of you are getting to enjoy summer time. The weather here has been more than a bit funky, and I really hope Mother Nature will provide me with a few more lovely days that are warm enough to go swimming. As soon as it's over 75 degrees I'm a total river rat, I even keep a towel and floatie toys in the back of my station wagon. I'm the first one in the water and the last one out. Since the weather has not been so nice to Oregon, I have spent a bit more time working that I usually do.

So a little bit ago Gertie had a post about cowls. This got me all excited because I LOVE cowls, and I have one in my Spring / Summer 2011 line plan. (Sidebar: yes, I am working that far ahead to be ready for market. Sometimes it's a bit hard doing that, since all I want to do is make cozy sweaters and dresses for fall.) But back to the important thing at hand—pretty cowls! I am going to walk you through the process—sketch to finished garment—with draping a lined knit dress with a cowl.

Guest Post: Cutting Knits and Other Tricky Fabrics with Alyson Clair

Welcome back to our guest series with Alyson Clair, who is our resident knits guru. Take it away, Alyson! And super big thanks!  --Gertie

Hello readers! Sorry for the gap in my postings. My contract work, and Fall/Winter production of my line (and also planning my wedding!) have taken up a bit more time than I had planned.

Today I'd like to talk about cutting. For me, this is my least favorite thing to do. I think perhaps it is because I am usually so excited to sew what I am cutting out, my patience for the time it takes to neatly cut something is very small! I've been thinking about the best way to talk about cutting, and first I'd like to give you an overview of how it's done in mass production. I also hope this helps you understand the way things are bulk cut, and that if you're cursing your fabrics for shifting, running away, and rolling that is totally normal. When I'm sampling my clothing line - and only cutting out one item at a time - my sailor mouth comes out rather often.

Guest Post: Sewing Knits Without a Serger

 I love these pieces from Alyson's current collection. Plus: puppeh!

Alyson Clair of Clair Vintage Inspired is taking it away again with a super hot topic on knits. Enjoy! - Gertie

Hello again lovely readers! I hope you are working on all kinds of fun projects. This post is to address a burning question: how to sew knits on a home sewing machine without a serger.

Can it be done? Yes. Do I recommend it? No, but I do understand that sergers are not cheap and it is a major investment to buy one.

I wish I had a magical unicorn answer about how to sew knits on a home machine and achieve the same results as using a serger. To me, the point of sewing with knits is to get stretch and comfort in a garment. One of the reasons I got so personally interested in sewing these fabrics was my own body. I know throughout the month I fluctuate in body weight and size, no matter what my current weight is. I feel like knits are my friend - if I'm a little bit more robust around the middle they can grow with me.

Knits in a Nutshell with Alyson Clair

 Sleeve detail on one of Alyson's knit designs

Look, your friendly neighborhood knits guru is back! Alyson of Clair Vintage Inspired is taking over here today with an intro post on sewing with knit fabric. Thanks, Alyson! Alyson has treated us to a very in-depth post with lots of fabulous photos, so make sure to click on "read more" to see it in its full glory.

Hi again, all! This post is meant to be an overview on knits in general. I can go into more specifics on different seam applications, fabric, stitching, and machine troubleshooting in the future, but first, I wanted to give a broad overview about the fabric and the different machines that can be used to sew and finish it.

 

Meet Alyson Clair: Our New Knits Guru!

Super exciting news today, readers. Remember when I posted about using stay tapes on wovens, several of you requested a guest post on knits? Well, I have something even better. A whole series on sewing knits from knitwear designer Alyson Clair! Alyson takes her inspiration from vintage designs, so she's a perfect fit here. Please give her a warm welcome! (Also: have specific questions about sewing with knits that you'd like to see addressed in a future post? Please write them in the comments below.)


Hello and greetings from the fair city of Portland, Oregon!

Last month I had the pleasure of finding this blog via a friend, and I have been hooked ever since!

My name is Alyson Clair. I'm an apparel designer/technical designer/pattern grader/marker maker/cutter/sewer/NERD! Basically I just like to make pretty things all day.

I grew up on a llama farm in a small town in Oregon. My mother ran a llama yarn business out of our home. I always had my hands busy with some sort of project. When not running around the woods or being out in the llama fields, I was thrifting from an early age. My family rolled their eyes (and still does) at the treasures I would recover from thrift stores. I have a strong affinity to the 1920s through early 1960's. My first car was a 1961 Bel Air, and the first summer I could drive I had two jobs: one at a thrift store (where I know I didn't make any money), and the other as snack bar gal at the local drive in movie theater. The drive-in was built in 1954 and is still currently in its original state.

I love what I do; working on clothing all day is super fun. And my main focus is sewing and designing with knits. I'm a busy bee and do lots of different projects for a variety of companies and designers: from vintage home patterns to being the patternmaker in an apparel factory. However, my main focus is my clothing line, Clair Vintage Inspired.

The goal of my line is to be the most favorite thing in your closet. I take vintage design inspirations and make them into comfortable knits. I also make a good variety of sizes, XS(4/6) through XL(16/18). As a designer it's more meaningful to me to see people on the street wearing my designs, than seeing them on a runway or in a fashion spread. There's room for boobs, butts, and curves. Fit and comfort are very important to me, as well as looking good. Another priority is making all of my goodies in the United States. Did you know that 95% of apparel is made overseas? I think it's incredibly important to support local economies and to know who is making your clothing,  and how and where it's being made.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from past and current seasons.

Be on the lookout for some upcoming posts about sewing with knits from me. Gertie has given me a fun list of questions from you lovely readers. I 'll answer them, and hopefully teach you about something I absolutely love.