14.7.12

Sillk Knit in Spring Colours

I really have been de-stashing my knits this year, all in my attempts to learn to use my cover-stitch machine.  Are you tired of hearing about it yet?



This top is made of a silk fabric, so I was expecting a little trouble.  Turned out, no trouble what-so-ever.  Well, not with the silk.  A little with the design.  I gathered the front section evenly, and then all the gathers were pushed out of place when I bound the neckline.  So I had to undo that section and redo it.  The lesson this time was to stabilise any gathers into position before binding.

The pattern was copied from RTW.  I was copying a knitted garment, so I did add extra width to compensate.  I have always found the original top very easy to wear.  I particularly like the hem band.  The ruffled sleeves are pretty.  The angle of the armscye is a little unusual, and when I was making up this top, I did like it as a sleeveless top as well.  I like the pattern so much that I should have copied it onto paper to use again, instead of cutting into my fabric directly from the RTW top.

I find print tops can be a little overwhelming, so to break it up a little, I covered the sleeves with a mesh dotty fabric.

Here you can see the original top.


The new top, paired with fuchsia skirt. is shown below.  I think it should also pair nicely with my white pants.  After seeing Belinda's skirt, I have bought some of the same fabric to make a turquoise skirt to match.


18 comments:

MushyWear said...

Your new top is gorgeous! I really love the silk print and it looks fabulous with your fuchsia skirt.

Mary Nanna said...

So pretty - and I love what you did with the sleeves. There is an Ottobre tee that has this neckline finish and it is very attractive in a drapy knit.

Sew-4-Fun said...

Lovely top! I like how you added the mesh over the sleeves. Great idea! I thik the top will look lovely with the Lisette fabric skirt too, once it's made. :)

Carolyn said...

Ooh, lovely! I really like the mesh over the sleeves, that is a great idea.

Amy said...

I remember seeing this fabric! I wish I had more silk knit to play with, it's so dreamy. This is a very pretty top, I think the print works very well with it.

Karin said...

It looks great! The fabric overlay no the sleeves is a nice touch and very creative!

Gabrielle said...

Such a gorgeous little top - you always have the absolute BEST prints! I really like the shape of the sleeves on this top as well as your idea for layering another fabric over the sleeves.

Bernice said...

Very lovely. It has a very striking palette. I really like the mesh sleeves.

Gail said...

Gorgeous outfit. I was so tempted by the fushia ponte at Tessutis.

Anonymous said...

Very nice!

Robyn said...

Love the use of the overlay on the sleeves - great idea, and the top paired with the fuschia skirt is fantastic.

meli88a said...

Not tired of hearing about your CS machine yet, just a little jealous at the amazing results your getting!

Audrey said...

I love the print you used on this top. So pretty. I never thought to use my coverstitch machine on silk, but hey, it looks like it works wonderfully. I also like the way you used the sheer fabric on the sleeves to add interest.

Anonymous said...

Just found your blog today and I'm loving your colour palette. Keep rockin' XD

Joy said...

I'm glad to hear your coverstitcher is getting a workout! The top looks great, especially the gathered and bound part. Stabilizing and basting are key (something I have to keep learning over and over, apparently).

liza jane said...

Oh my gosh, the polka dot mesh on the sleeves is so cool!

Tonya said...

So cute! Hey what binder do you recommend to get a 1/2" finished binding? I bind with lycra and if the fabric I'm using isn't too slippery or thin, it works really well, but I really want to use some of the swimsuit type Lycra for doing a wider binding but it slides all over even with adjusting the pressure foot pressure.. any suggestions?

katherine h said...

Hi Tonya, I have had trouble in the past making 1/2" bindings with slippery lycra so I usually stick to 3/8". Recently I found that if I want a wider binding in slipperly lycra, it helps if I pull on the lycra so that it stetches a little as it is fed through the binder. This seems to help the edges stay aligned. Hope this helps xx