I have said it many times…I’m not a fan of sewing knits…especially the slippery, slinky wants to run away from you kind. But my past, more optimistic, “It’s a New Year, let’s throw caution to the wind and make all the promises” self thought it would be a good idea to write a reflective post and in that same post include some sewing goals for the upcoming year. Among those goals was one to sew more knits. Did anyone else make these kinds of promises? Are you keeping them? If you wrote a similar post too, go have a look at what you wrote…or don’t…I wish I hadn’t. I am way behind on that list…way behind.
Back to knits…wearing them is AWESOME. So comfy. Some genius coined the phrase…”secret pajamas”…and it is so true! I have sewn with a stable knit ponte and thought it was time to try another knit, the sweater knit. It wasn’t as bad as I thought but it probably helped that I choose a very simple pattern, V8278.
This pattern is now out of print but I’m sure that there are others available like it. I cut out both front and back on the fold, eliminating the CB seam. This left four seams to be sewn and the hemming, which was made simple with my coverstitch. Easy peasy.
With barely a meter of this fabric, I wasn’t left with much to make the tie but worked it out. I may have stretched out the neckline as I hemmed it but it is still fine. Any tips to avoid stretching it?
I think this dress is perfect for fall, especially when the days are still warm. I don’t feel as though I am dressed for summer but I’m not sweltering in the heat either. It can be tough during the fall to balance seasonally appropriate with weather appropriate.
To say that I love how this dress turned out is an understatement….I think it looks great, it feels nice on and it wasn’t a big deal to make… so what took me so long???
Can we talk about this print for a moment? It has a kind of chevron stripe to it, with a hint of a floral in some areas. I love it…but it is very hard to describe…does anyone have a name for it?
Looks great Margo! The fun fall print really makes this dress, although I love cap sleeve and a self-fabric belt:) I love knits because there are far less fitting issues! I often hear that a walking foot or a server is a must for knits but I don't have either! I think it just takes a bit of getting used to, like anything else, I suppose. Good idea using a simple pattern as you're easing into knits:)
Very nice dress! My first few experiences with knits were not great at all – but with a little practice it got so much easier. And now I think they are much faster than wovens. A walking foot is handy for slinkier knits, especially if you have stripes or patterns to line up, so might help with the neckline. I've always done a binding of some sort for a knit neckline but I do find a twin needle makes hemming every thing else much neater so that might help.
There you go again Margo. Looking like a million bucks with just a meter of fabric! Perfect pattern choice for this WOW fabric! Simple silhouette…knock out gorgeous fabric in your colours!
I still stay stitch my knit necklines, or you can pull in s stretch kneck line with a tighter binding. Walking foots do make a difference. Great dress. The simple shape really showcases that lovely fabric.
You definitely look effortlessly chic 🙂 love the colours!
Thanks Rikki! I guess knits are not all that bad if you can sew them with up with your regular machine…here I have a serger, coverstitch and a walking foot and I'm whining..shame on me. Good for you!!
Thanks for the tips Noelle! I think I stretched the neckline when I hemmed it with my coverstitch….I'll get the hang of it someday!
Thank you Sue! You are so sweet.This fabric is great…eh?! I love the colors!
Thanks Mags! The binding is a good idea but I'll admit, I also fear the binding especially in a knit.
Thank you Nilla!
Hello Margo! Looking fantastic in your knit dress. Great print!
I feel like you do about knits, but then I go and buy more than ten meters of it, in asorted colours!
I like to use a knit interfacing on knit necklines. I save all my interfacing scraps for things like this.
I love this print, and I think it's totally seasonally appropriate! Great dress and good for you to sticking to your goals!
It looks wonderful on you. I love the fabric.
Margo – I'm thinking you should sew with more knits! This dress is fantastic. There is a fusible bias product that I use on knit necklines, I iron it on where I will be sewing – if this makes sense. Anyway – this dress is lovely and look fantastic! g
You say easy peasy. I say smart and classy. 🙂 The colors are so perfect for this time of year.
You continue to be an inspiration to the sewing world.
Almeda
So lovely <3
Very nice dress, bravo! When sewing neckline, I like to rely on Wonder tape to keep the garment from stretching. I measure the exact lenght needed from the pattern so this way, there is no stretching of the fabric neckline. Clipping the tape in curves helps. Just make sure the sticky tape is one hair within the sewing. Works great every time.
I love it! And the more I'm looking at it, I'm wondering… did you get it at Fabricland? Does it have white on the inside? Little wee holes on the right side, like a pique? The way it hangs is making me wonder if it's actually in the same line of knits as my identical shaped blue-and-white kimono dress that I blogged last week! (I could be totally off base here.) Regardless, I like how your sash and styling makes your dress look elegant and office-ready. Makes me wonder just how much I could dress up my dress too! 😛 Great job!
Thanks Gillian! Yes I did get at Fabricville last winter. Oh my gosh!! Our dresses are totally the same! I made another and it looks even more like yours. Twinsies!
Good tips Thanks!!
Thank you Miss Emmy! <3
Thank you Almeda! You are so sweet!
Thanks Marie! I think I may need to source some fusible tape! Great tip thanks!
Thank you Jeanette!
Thanks Heather! Ha! I am so behind on the goals…now I'm playing catch up.
Good tip Jenny Thanks!
Hi Merche! For someone who doesn't particularly like to sew knits…I sure do have quite a few of them in my stash too!
"Serger"
Hello, gorgeous! You look fabulous in your dress, of course!
I love this so much I bought the pattern off of EBay!
Did you include the facing/interfacing pieces? I just did this up in a woven as a test and am thinking the facing pieces would not be needed for a knit.
Thanks!! No, I didn't use the facings for my knit. It makes this dress so easy to make!!! Good luck with yours.
You have just made my night haha I was cursing those facings earlier, so I am looking forward to going back for round 2! Thanks 🙂
My pleasure!! Anything to make life a little bit easier, right?!
Margo, what method did you use to finish the sleeve edges?
Hi! I used a coverstitch machine to hem it. You could use a twin needle to hem a knit as well.
Thanks!
I wound up finishing it off with bands, which worked really well, as I was working with a more stable night. I love it!