New Look 6977

Today I made this little top. I bought this pattern last spring and found this fabric in San Diego. I have another knit that I will make into it next, but I need to get some orange thread. :)
I think the fabric on this one looks nice and would look great with a black skirt

















I actually want to make all the pieces in this pattern because they all look simple and easy to wear. I have some knit that I was going to make a skirt out of today, but I wanted to make the longer fuller skirt and the ponte knit that I have is too heavy. It would be right for the straight skirt though. Actually, the straight skirt would probably look better with the fabric in this top anyway.






There were several things I liked about this pattern.
First of all, it only takes one yard of fabric!
Next: raglan sleeves - nothing easier.
Third, the neckline band. It gives a nice touch

I used a good quality polyester knit that I purchased in San Diego this past spring. It looks like a border print, but it's really a stripe.

I used a 10 at the neck and tapered to a 14 at the hips. Next time I will narrow the upper back by taking off 1/4" at the seam that attaches to the sleeve. I have narrow shoulders and a narrow upper back. I should have thought of this the first time.

This is a great knit top with a little something extra. The neckline in this top has a couple of nice features. First of all, it has a band around the neckline. This would also look nice in a contrasting color. On the inside, there is elastic and a very small dart in the band. Be careful not to have your elastic come into the seam allowance or it will be difficult to get a neat looking dart. Also, if you are large busted, you will need to increase the length of the elastic. I added an inch in length to the bust area and should have done the same thing with the elastic. Next time, I will.

I have a cover stitch machine, but do not use it very often. Today I moved it next to my sewing machine (it used to be in another room with my serger. Now they are both in the sewing room) to force myself how to use it more. I used it to finish the hem and sleeve hems. I have always had trouble taking fabric out of the cover stitch without unraveling or puckering the seam.. I have read all about it, but it just was not working for me without releasing the lever underneath the needle plate. Then I watched this video on UTube, and it finally made sense to me. I hope I will start using this more because I really like the look it gives and it is a lot easier to do than the twin needle.I used the coverstitch to do the hem on the bottom and sleeves.