Slinky Knit Top Trial #3 and Toss The Bendy Stick!

Another day -- another top in the trash -- another knit top blueprint. 


1st:  I redrew the back of my paper pattern to match the shape of the bendy stick back. 

Wouldn't you think that if you take a curve, and you sew a seam in two pieces of fabric to match that curve, that the fit should be perfect???

As you might suspect, I am running out of knit here in my stash.  I started with top #1 in white undershirt knit which now has a huge slash across the back.  Then there was top #2 in the purple Ponteroma knit that has a huge dart in the sway back, but might still be a keeper.  Today, all I could find left in my stash was some pretty bright pink Slinky.  Let me just say this about Slinky.  I am changing the name of it to "Snotty" -- or "Slimy" could work.

But, I digress......

I cut out the new, very curvy back and the front, and I sewed them together.  I used a walking foot, so it wasn't too difficult to sew.  I turned my new top inside out, put it on and ran into look in the big mirror with the little mirror.  You know about that, right?  You stand with your back facing the full length mirror, and you hold a hand-held mirror in front of you above one shoulder so you can see what the back looks like.  A 3-way mirror works nicely if you have one.  My first glance was met with excitement at the very curvy sway back fit and the skirt hanging out over my bottom without pulling up.  Here's a side view:

I thought it looked a little funny above the sway back, but I couldn't really tell until I saw the following picture.  It truly is amazing what these pictures show.

It just dawned on me:  I could have said I did this on purpose, and called it a "cowl back"! 

Obviously, this wasn't good enough for a TNT Pattern, so I took it off and sewed up the area where the "V's" are.  Here is what it looked like then:

I took the top off and decided to finish it.  I went to my serger to serge off all the seams.  Everything went downhill from there.  The serger did not want to sew through this snotty/slimy/slinky.  I suppose I could have changed the needle to a knit needle, but I have never had to do that before on any knit.  I have 4 sergers, and I have never had an issue with them not flying through anything I fed them. 

After all of that, I decided I cannot STAND this fabric.  It is like wearing water on your body.  It clings to everything.  It makes my boobs look like a ski jump.  The darts hung way too low on the front, and they were perfect on the paper.  I have quite a bit of patience for this, but when I get tired, this is what happens:

Yep, the SNOTTY is in the TRASHY!  (I have been known to go back the next day and fish stuff out, but I don't think I will this time.)  I decided to go to Hancock's and buy some knit that I don't really like, but it was on sale, so I can start with Knit Top #4 tomorrow morning. 

I had to take all 3 of these tops in 1/2" on the sides and up at the shoulders, so I decided to redraw my Surefit Designs Blueprint using smaller dots.  I also measured by bust again.  I've measured it 10,000 times already, but...  Everything seems to be so big there in my sewn garments.  I measured 41 tonight, so I used the Size 40 dots per Glenda's suggestion.  Tomorrow morning, I shall start again.  There may be hope for a roller coaster back yet!

And since it is Sunday, I have to say how great our Pastor was this morning on Computer TV.  He was teaching us how to pray for America and our leaders.  I pretty much knew that you are to pray that God gives our leaders wisdom and that God will bless America, but I have had a real hard time lately not praying that a lot of our so-called leaders would "accidentally" get hit by lightning! 

God Bless the USA

Hugs, Joy