I’ll begin by apologising for the image quality in this post. I am having some serious photography woes at the moment. Doesn’t seem to matter what I do. Winter light levels have kicked in and I have some work to do to try and counteract this. I have a total mental block when it comes to the technicalities of camera settings but am TRYING to get my head around compensating for low light conditions. Right now…it just ain’t happening. And short of discontinuing blog posts until I sort it (not an option) I’m having to suck it up and make do with what I can muster photography wise for now. So basically….sorry for the s*** photos…
That said…I am pretty pleased with this top…
Still exploring the boxy loose shape which, when combined with a decent drape, is becoming a favourite of mine…
This one is comprised of 2 squares of fabric with cuffed bands applied to the sleeves and hem and a standard neckband finish to the neckline…
The fabric is from Girl Charlee. It’s the red orange and heather grey colourway. Lovely drape and softness against the skin and easy to work with. I prewashed the fabric as I would be doing during normal use. Then again after I made the top at which time there was further shrinkage. Not massive amounts, but enough to slightly skew my sleeve and hem bands. SO…prewash…at least twice IMHO. 30 degrees and hang to dry rather than tumble…
I had to employ the differential feed on this too. Only a teeny bit. But worth swatching first with this one to limit stretching or shifting of layers whilst serging.
The top I made is 2 squares of fabric 28″ by 28″….
Pin along the outside edges to keep the stripes aligned….
Then serge straight across the top (where the neckline will be)…
We’ll come back to the neckline in a moment…
Measure approx 8″ down and snip a notch into the side seam…
This marks the armhole opening and provides a starting point for the serger…
Simply peel back the layers above the notch and line the innermost part of the cut/notch up with your needles…
Serge the side seams together.
Create a band to fit the armhole opening…
Pin that the the opening RS together and raw edges aligned…
Serge together…
Then cut out a neck opening your desired width…
Measure the opening …
Then cut a band from your remaining fabric to fit. Cutting the neckband marginally smaller than the measurement of the neckline opening (about 5/8″) helps the neckband to turn inwards and sit flat once it’s applied.
Apply the band to the neck opening…
Press seam allowance down and top stitch if desired.
For the bottom hem the treatment is pretty much the same as the sleeves…
I cut off the bottom 6″ of the hem…
And folded it in half to create a band…
Then simply applied that to the hem.
Done!
Super easy. Super quick. Super comfy. 🙂
Great top, I love that stripe. If you think these photos are s*** I hate to think what mine are!! There seems to be some masking tape in use – did you learn nothing from Pat!!
Love the stripes, looks really soft! The photos look good to me.
I love it. Thanks for the tutorial!!
Nina.
Does look great and super comfy
I love this! I’ve got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for later today that features your tutorial:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/?p=85122 –Anne
Love this
Hi! LOVE the shirt! Would you mind going into a little more detail about the neckline? Do you have to cut it into an arc, picking the length and depth? I apologize for my naivete, I’m a new sewer. Thanks so much!
Yes exactly that Lauren. Kind of a half moon shape as pictured. Start the cut at right angles to the shoulder seams then scoop it down and round. Width and depth of the neckline are a personal preference teally. Mine is approx 8″ wide by about 1.5″ deep if that helps!
Making this right now, going well so far. But I have a question. When I attach the arm band to the arm hole and line up the raw edges, I have a notch at the arm pit from the cut 8 inches down to allow the serger to sew the side seams. Should I sew a large seam allowance, about half an inch to enclose the hole?
Or do I trim the side piece down to eliminate the L shaped gap?
Either works Deidre. I trimmed mine slightly ?
Was wondering how to make this into a plus size
Make your squares half your bust measurement plus about 6 to 8 inches depending on how much ease you want. Try on to check the fit and length, adjust/take in if necessary then add the cuffs and finish the hem and neckline 🙂 Px
Portia, thanks for your fine tutorial. I have been looking for projects for my new Bernina 450 serger. Have avoided sewing with knits for YEARS because I was afraid to use my standard machine. Now that I have a serger, I can do all those projects I have put off for so long. Because I have avoided buying knits, I am not sure what kind of knit to buy for this beautiful shirt. Double knit? Jersey knit? Please give me a hint or two about what to look for in the fabric shop, Portia. Thanks again for the terrific tutorial.
Any good quality standard t shirt jersey would be fine. Recommend buying from a shop to begin with so you can feel the fabric. Px
Love this t-shrit pattern but can you tell me how much fabric l will need please, l have looked at most of your tutorials and l think they are brilliant thanks.
1.5m and you’ll have plenty Cheryl. You could squeeze it out of 1m depending on the width of the fabric though 🙂
Thanks l will give it a try looking at fabric now can’t Waite to try it x
Hi, thanks for this tutorial, it’s great! Will it work if I just turn the neckline under and (zig-zag) stitch? I’d prefer not to have an attached neckband… Thanks again.
Hi Kathryn. It WILL work. The neckline will be a little less stable though. As long as you can live with that then go for it. 🙂
Great, thanks. I might try hemming tape to help.
Any tips if you don’t have a serger? I’m a novice as well and the one time I tried sewing a knit fabric I realized it needed special treatment!
It all depends on your machine. Some machines handle knits well. Some hate them! Use a specific jersey needle and try sewing with a shallow zig zag stitch for starters and see how you get on. Sometimes sandwiching the seam between tissue paper can help the machine to cope while stitching (and then tear away afterwards). If you have old unuseable tissue patterns (of off cuts from patterns you’ve cut out)….that can be helpful. Also invest in a walking foot. Handy for many things!