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SewLibra: I like my first make of the Itch to Stitch Brisbane top in red so I'm sewing another one! I made my alterations the first time that are shown in the Version I Album. All I did this time was lengthen the bodice an additional 3/4".
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SewLibra: I'm color blocking this one with three French terry fabrics. The solid gray and charcoal are 80% poly/16% rayon/4% spandex content. The print for the main bodice is 100% cotton. All are from Girl Charlee via Amazon and all have the required stretch.
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SewLibra: This is why it's good to be thoughtful before cutting into a random print like this. Bullseye! Haha.
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SewLibra: I moved the fabric around to approximately where it will meet the front yoke before laying out my pattern pieces.
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SewLibra: Since I've made the Jalie 2805 several times and already altered the long sleeves, I'm going to use this pattern to draft long sleeves for the Brisbane.
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SewLibra: I need to use the Brisbane's sleeve cap to fit the armscye. First I placed the Jalie long sleeve over the Brisbane cap, lining up both at the center and pinned in place.
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SewLibra: I peeled back the Jalie sleeve while I traced the Brisbane cap, leaving the pins in so nothing would move. Then I replaced the Jalie sleeve to continue tracing down to the end of the sleeve.
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SewLibra: Next I turned the Jalie long sleeve over as a mirror image, lining up at the center, and traced all the way down. My sleeve will be wider than the Jalie but I can take larger seams if needed.
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SewLibra: Here's my finished long sleeve and it will fit in the armscye as it should. I added a notch to each side (hard to see here) in the same place so I can match it up for pinning and sewing.
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SewLibra: At this point I have already cut the first sleeve using the black rectangle motif as the center. Using my laser level here to make sure the motif continues in a straight line before cutting the other sleeve.
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SewLibra: Cutting single layer here, so the sleeve pattern piece needs to be turned upside down for a mirror image. This is not a symmetrical sleeve cap. I can see the motif through the paper and it's straight all the way down.
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SewLibra: For the upper yoke, lower yoke and facing, I made tailor tacks for the markings. This French terry is soft, stretchy, and hard to mark. The yoke and keyhole area has to be marked exactly or it won't look neat in the end.
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SewLibra: I again used Design Plus Bias Fusible Stay Tape for the curved neckline front and back. This worked well for this light/medium weight French terry.
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SewLibra: I again used Design Plus Straight Fusible Stay Tape for all the straight areas. One place I did not use tape this time, even though the instructions called for it, was the shoulder seams. They don't need it, plus it will show on the inside.
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SewLibra: Some pieces should have stay tape between dot and notch, and another place you are supposed to go beyond the notch. See next frame.
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SewLibra: Between, between, slightly past. Have to pay attention! I have to admit the second time around I was getting a little lazy with the instructions, but I did catch this and underline it.
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SewLibra: Once the stay tape had been fused to the front facing, I took out the tailor tack and made a proper dot with a marker. The needle needs to stop right there on the dot when you sew the keyhole part. Same thing with the other tailor tacks I made.
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SewLibra: In Step 9 there is a small piece of seam allowance that you are supposed to avoid catching at the circle. In the end it just kind of sticks out. More about that in the frame after the next one.
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SewLibra: When you come to Step 11, this is what it actually looks like. Nothing like the illustration! Be sure to press toward the facing and do your understitching on the facing too. The color blocked part is the front yoke.
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SewLibra: When I turned my yoke inside out, it was pretty lumpy at the center. I pulled it inside out, trimmed the seam a little better, made sure I had clipped all the way to the stitching at the dot, and cut off that pesky little piece that hangs off.
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SewLibra: For the neck bands they say to stretch and PROTRUDE to make them completely cover the edge. I suggest going over the edge and cutting off the excess later. My first make of this pattern I had to stretch my fabric after the fact and it was not fun.
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SewLibra: This is what Step 24 looks like in real life. With right sides together, pin front yoke to Front and baste. Do not baste Front Facing, which is kept free for now.
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SewLibra: Step 25. Wrap to pin right side of Front Facing to wrong side of front yoke, sandwiching Front between Facing and Front Yoke. Make sure to stitch all the way into the corner.
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SewLibra: Instead of doing one side at a time I got both sides ready. Did this on the first version (red top) too. Otherwise too much getting up and down, and repetition. Same with the front and back bands. Why go back and forth so much?!
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SewLibra: Step 32. RST pin Back to Front Yoke at shoulder. Make sure shoulder seam lines intersect at the neck edge. Baste. ALSO make sure the band edge is flat and not bunched up. To me the hardest part was trying to get a smooth neckline at the shoulder seam.
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SewLibra: Step 33. Both sides of shoulder seam connecting front and back ready to be sewn. Keep the seam allowances at the ends free. At least that helped me!
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SewLibra: This is a much smoother junction at the shoulder seams than I got on my first version. This is a thinner fabric, which helped, but I had to re-sew one side twice to get it to not be lumpy there.
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SewLibra: Remember how hard I worked to cut the sleeves to be the same print, right and left, front and back? Well it turned out wrong! The front of one sleeve is the same as the back of the other, and vice versa. I have enough to cut another sleeve.
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SewLibra: Oh crap. I did the same thing as before. I had turned the sleeve over since cutting single layer. I should have kept the sleeve pattern right side up and matched the print that way. Well, it is what it is at this point.
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SewLibra: One finger on the front notch and one on the dark print. I had correctly placed the print, but when I put right sides together to pin the sleeve to the armhole, I realized I should have had the PATTERN piece right side up instead of right side down.