Today's Fit ,Vogue 1197

I just got back from Ottawa where I spent six days with darling Riley. So I thought I'd show you a few pics of the little sweetie.



We got very attached to one another on this trip and we both cried when I left.Riley is now 11 months old and she is crawling and creeping all over the place. She is such a joy as all you grandmothers out there will empathise with..

Now on to sewing stuff.

I finished this top before I went to Ottawa.




It took me about six hours from start to finish including the cutting out which I did one layer at a time in order to match up the design.I did a fairly good job of matching as you see here.




Stats.

Pattern, V1197
Fabric, poly/wool blend very light,almost sheer sweater knit ( I have to wear a cami underneath).

Needle used, an 80/12 universal needle worked very well.

Stitch usedI used the stretch stitch for this piece but I basted the side seams first because as you know, a stretch stitch is pretty permanent.

Size used, I cut the upper back and shoulders size C and the front and side seams a size D.It's a good fit. My measurements are between the C & D.

Changes made,I combined the two views by using the cowl of A because I didn't have enough fabric after matching the front and back. I changed the finished length from 34.5" on view B to 25" because I really don't like a long tunic on me.

Problems encountered,The strange shape of the sleeves caused some difficulty.Here is a pic of the pattern piece.





You are suppose to make the shirring by sewing a length of elastic while stretching it along the bottom third or so of the sleeve. When I did this, I found the shirring to be lumpy.I decided to ditch the elastic and to sew double gathering lines, draw them up to the right length and secure the gathering with stay tape ( I used the selvage of silk organza to avoid bulk)




This worked better than the elastic but the result is still a little lumpy. Next time I'm just going to cut the sleeves straight and long and then gather both the top and under sleeve. I'm pretty sure,that will solve the bumpy gathers problem.



I also stabilized the neck with silk organza selvage before sewing on the cowl. I then ran a row of top stitching around the neckline so the seam would lie flat. This step is not in the instructions.



I'm pretty satisfied with this top although the cowl doesn't look anything like the drawing on the pattern envelope. I would like to try it again and try my idea for the shirring on the sleeves.



Other Pics here.

My next project will be a nice soft and cozy wool knit nightie/lounger out of this fabric and loosely based on the pattern shown .



Have a great week and I do hope you found time to sew this weekend!