More tops for the spring (kind of)

Knits and sergers.  They're like a foreign language compared to sewing wovens with a regular machine.  Whereas I feel confident in my sewing skills on my regular machine, I get nervous and uncertain when I sit down with knit fabric at my serger.   Of course the only way to resolve that issue is practice, so over the past few months I've purchased some knits to improve my skills.  For this top, I used this geometric knit fabric from Britex, purchased last fall (hence the non-seasonally appropriate color palette).  I found this piece on Britex's top floor in the remnant department--definitely the place to get pre-cut pieces of fabric at reduced prices (even Bemberg!). 

The pattern was downloaded from Burda Style (the Long Sleeve Top), adapted to have 3/4 sleeves.  Not even joking, I am obsessed with finding a perfect raglan-sleeved 3/4 sleeve top for the inevitable time when they go out of style and I'll have to make my own.  Because I don't care if I'm that lady that doesn't keep up the the trends, I will wear 3/4 length sleeves for the rest of my life.  

I used the smallest size, but cut the seam for the arm in a bit on the front and back, since the first version I made was a little wide.  Also, after struggling with getting a bias strip to lay properly, I cut it out and just folded over the neckline, sewing with a double needle and my regular machine.  Not ideal, but it looks okay. 

The bulk of the top is sewn with a 3-thread overlock stitch, which makes the construction super fast.  The sleeves and hem were finished with a double-needle on my regular machine, with woolly nylon in the bobbin.  One thing I've discovered when using that method on knits is to stretch the seam line before cutting the threads, which helps pull in as much woolly nylon as is needed to allow for stretch while wearing.

Overall, I'm pleased with the pattern and how the top turned out.  I need to start practicing switching out my machine between serging and coverstitching on my (non-air threading) serger so I can finish hems the real way!

If you haven't already, pop over to Made By Rae's annual Spring Top Sewalong and check out the other awesome tops in the Flickr pool!  It's ON until April 19th!