Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been busy with patterns and fabric and refashioning charity shop finds. I thought that it was time to expand my limited skills when it came to sewing knit fabrics and a larger size wrap dress in a charity shop was an excellent candidate for practising on. If the end result was less than perfect or totally useless, I had only spent £6. I used the Retro Jersey Top pattern from the September issue of Make It Today! Dressmaker magazine but altered the pattern by raising the front neckline a little, omitting the centre-front inverted pleat, giving the side seams a little flare, and stitching the neck facing on the inside. I don’t own an overlocker so I tested various stitches on fabric scraps before settling for the standard knit stitch on my Janome and then trimming the excess fabric with scissors. The knit stitch is a pain to unpick and there’s really no need for you to ask how I know that. My new top is very comfortable to wear and has a nice drape to it and whilst wearing a bold patterned fabric like this is well out of my comfort zone I didn’t get odd looks from anyone when I wore it in public so that’s a win as far as I’m concerned!
carvingtimefromlife 
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