More Sleeveless Tops

Having fitted that Kwik Sew sleeveless top, I am now on a roll with sleeveless garments. I made another one, with a skirt to match, and am now making a third sleeveless top with a shirt collar. I guess the warm weather is inducing me to sew things I don't normally bother with.

At the same time, I am knitting a cardigan that makes me break out into a sweat after a few rows. Knit from the bottom up on a circular needle, I wanted to challenge myself with something more difficult than straight stocking stitch. And this two-colour pattern really appealed to me. Perhaps it will be finished just in time for cooler fall weather.

Armhole Success

The alteration worked! a sleeveless top that can be worn without revealing too much skin or bra - sometimes it is worth sticking with a pattern and getting it right.

Sleeveless Tops

It's very hot here in Nova Scotia, we rarely get such hot weather. Perhaps a few days per summer, but the heat wave on the east coast is reaching us here. And my usual knit tees feel too clammy to wear. Now, if I were better organized, I would have something sewn up in advance to pull out on such warm days, but I am probably like many other women and wait until the heat is here to panic and try to sew something.

I pulled this pattern out from the stash, I had made it a couple of years ago and recall a problem with the armholes.

Too big, but I forgot how much too big. I noticed that I had raised them, so figured that I had worked out an alteration and cut into a nice piece of rayon batik that I had in the stash. Too bad, the armhole problem was not fixed and the top is unwearable. I tried several things, but it is not fixable and I will finish it off and put it in the donation bag for Goodwill. It is a pity because the fabric has a lovely feel and the collar and shirt fit so nicely except for those humongous armholes.

Since I really like the hang of this shirt, I pulled out another pattern that is sleeveless, and that I know fits. It is the top from Twice as Nice, a pattern from Saf-T-Pockets. I know this one fits because I actually taught a class on this once, making a reversible sleeveless top using industrial methods. I can't remember them now, but I am sure they would come back if I made it again. I guess I wasn't charmed enough by the style then because I only ever made one. But the pattern is useful to compare with this Kwik Sew, and that is what I did. It was surprising to see just how much the armhole was off when compared with one that fit. It was clear that I could raise the underarm quite a bit without affecting anything else and that is what I did, in this photo.

This is the shirt that didn't work.

And this is the fabric for the next try. I will let you know if it works. While searching the stash for suitable fabric, I came across another piece of rayon batik (I got several pieces while I was selling batiks from Batik Butik in my online store). If you have never sewn with their fabrics, do check them out. The batiks are 100% rayon, so very cool to wear, with lovely colours that don't wash out. And the rayon is good quality, it withstands machine washing and doesn't hang all limp as some rayons do.