SewLibra:
The first time I made this pattern I made View D, the Henley version. This one is View B, the turtleneck version. I started by tracing only the part of the new neckline I needed on tracing paper.
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I laid the Henley over the turtleneck tracing, making sure to go down far enough to cover the opening that was for the Henley.
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I simply pinned the two pieces together and cut out the fabric with it. I didn't have to retrace the whole bodice and when I make the Henley again I'll just take the pins out!
SewLibra:
I know from my first version the sleeves were too tight. I know this is hard to see, but all I did was position the ruler from armscye point to hem point and drew a line.
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By drawing the straight line, this gave me 3/4" on the pattern piece which equals 1 1/2" total. If this is too much it at least gives a starting point for the alteration.
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Here is the finished shortened and widened sleeve. It's used for all views on Jalie 2805 and is marked for cap, short, 3/4 length and long.
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Before I cut striped or plaid fabric, I pin all along the fold on a stripe or grainline of a plaid. It helps keep the fabric from shifting. Of course if you want to make double sure, cut your pieces out on a single layer of fabric.
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Oops...gained a few pounds so I wanted to add 3/8" to the side seams of the front and back, which gives a total of 1 1/2". I didn't want to mess with the pattern so I taped a clear ruler at 3/8" and used it to cut at the table.
SewLibra:
So that the armscye remained the same, I cut at an angle and blended into the side seam. I tapered it better which took that lump off after I took this pic! Ha!
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After I had the front piece cut, I lined up the back piece at the shoulder to line up the stripes, then cut the back.
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It was my design choice to place the collar on the horizontal since I placed the bodice on the vertical. I didn't have enough left to cut on the fold in that direction so I used the taped ruler using the 3/8" for a seam allowance.
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If you have a walking foot, use it for matching stripes! Shown, I'm just sewing a side seam, but it works wonders when you are matching as I did on the shoulder, cuffs and elsewhere.
SewLibra:
After I had the sleeves sewn in (flat), I used an edge stitch foot to topstitch the seam allowance down. I used a 3-thread serger stitch on the seams but it was still a bit bulky.
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Yep, I had to make seams in the cuffs too due to fabric shortage. In real life the seams don't show unless you're looking for them. The pattern does not have cuffs, but they're just a rectangle, then folded.
SewLibra:
Just a note here, but if you want horizontal stripes on your cuffs, cut on the vertical. If you want vertical stripes, cut on the horizontal. Usually this is done on the fold.
SewLibra:
Because I placed my garment on the vertical, the sleeves "grew", as did the bodice hem. I ended up having to cut off and narrow the sleeve to exactly fit the cuff.
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Here I have the cuff pinned on the sleeve and ready to sew. I have already zig-zagged the edges of the cuff together to avoid keeping 3 layers in place.
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Argh! Why do feed dogs eat knit??? Well I know why...I started at the edge and I know better!
SewLibra:
After sewing on the cuffs and trying on the top to make sure, I serged the seam allowance off. This made a nice neat look inside. All the inside seams are serged.
SewLibra:
For the hem I pressed up 1", matched the stripes, and coverstitched on my Janome 900CPX. To prevent tunneling my settings were needles 2, looper zero and differential feed 1.5 and stitch length 4.
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So much for matching stripes at the hem because the coverstitch machine managed to move them on the inside of the top. The right side looks fine when it's worn so I'm not going to do it over.
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Next time I make the turtleneck version I need to taper in the pattern piece because it's too wide for my neck! I basted a dart at the back neck. Don't know yet if I'll make it permanent and better looking, or take it out and wear it folded down.
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Close-up pic. I like how the navy and red pinstripe ribbed knit goes with jeans. Casual and warm!
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Here is the finished top. This is supposed to be a mock turtleneck, but on me not only is it too wide, it's also too tall! Folding it down is probably how I'll wear it.
SewLibra:
Widening the sleeve has made it comfortable. There is too much fabric across the upper back and some sagging. BUT I took this off and on so many times for fitting that I know I stretched out the back! I hope washing/drying brings it back.
