Monday, December 31, 2007

Last project of 2007!

First, thank you for your words of comfort about the Butterick dress disaster. I'll keep the muslin and perhaps at a later date I'll fuss with the fit, but I'm planning to wear the sequined H&M dress tonight. I wore it earlier this month to my husband's work holiday party (at a cabaret club!), but we'll be with a completely different group of people on new years eve so I can get away with it!

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Do you ever see or think of an idea for a project, and once it's there, you just can't get it out of your head? It's there perched in the back of your mind, nudging you, loudly clearing it's throat "ahem!"... That's how I've felt ever since I read Sewing Diva Els' how-to on making a "stuffed" neckband.


A little backstory - a couple of years ago I purchased this Stella McCartney skirt (majorly on sale of course!). One of the things I love about it is the waistband, it feels like there is a fat piece of piping cord in there. I was thrilled when Els showed how to create a similar finish on a knit top.


I started with an older BWOF v-neck t-shirt pattern that I redrafted to be a scoopneck, and a knit fabric I bought last month at Stonemountain in Berkeley. I made a tube the same size as the neckline, stuffed it with fiberfill, sewed it on, and understitched. Easy, right? Yes... but I did learn a couple of things during the process:


1. Patience is a virtue here - To avoid getting a lumpy neckband, take your time stuffing the neckband with the fiberfill. Tear the fiberfill into the smallest possible pieces, put a few pieces in, push them into the tube, repeat. I used both a wooden spoon to push the fiberfill in and a chopstick to push and pull pieces around.


2. Use a large seam allowance on the neckband, I'd say, oh, 1.5 inches. You can always trim it after you've sewn it to the neckline. Why? Because if you use only 0.5 inch seam allowances like I did, the ugly raw edges will show from the right side of the garment, as above. You want the raw edges of the seam allowance fabric to wide enough curl under and be hidden on the wrong side. I remedied this by covering the ugly raw eges with another strip of my fashion fabric. But, I recommend you avoid having to do that in the first place.


Now, let me just tell you I love this top! It feels almost elegant to wear, and it looks a bit mod, doesn't it?


16 comments:

Erica Bunker said...

That top is so cute! I love the neck. Great last project of the year!

C. Dishmont said...

I stinking love that top!! To top it off, it looks awesome on you!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the shout out to my post. Your top looks great. I top- stitched the neckline from the right side and used a tiny seam allowances bound with seams great to keep the seam allowances stay inside.
Happy New Year.

lsaspacey said...

That is INCREDIBLE!! Funky and definitely wearable.

narcissaqtpie said...

wow!!! I have no words!

MéLisa said...

Wow your Top turned out great! I was wondering what you were going to use that fabric for!

Melissa said...

That is an adorable shirt - love that fabric!

Lisette M said...

Very cute and very mod! Love it!

Stephanie said...

You are so rocking that shirt! I'm sending your pattern this week. Thanks again for letting me borrow it!

Anonymous said...

That top turned out great. I love it when an idea comes out the way you imagined. g

Beth said...

The neckline is amazing! I never thought about doing a technique like that. I'm always impressed with how much you produce!

Vicki said...

I love this! I liked Els version, but yours is even better.

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

Great top! Great instructions! It is a very fun, mod top!

yaiAnn said...

I love it! It is really cute. I must think about what pattern I can do that with.

Tany said...

Just FABULOUS!

Anonymous said...

What a clever and flattering design- so not fair that its not available to buy in pattern form, but genius of you to invent it yourself.