The Ruffle Knit Top

I've been thinking about changing the name of my blog again. For some reason it just seems more appropriate to call it "the thing that I screwed up today".

I bought two yards of ruffle knit at the Novi Sewing Expo the other weekend with the idea of making a tee. I did some googling and decided that a sleeveless tank would probably be the most flattering in this fabric. I (of course) used New Look 6735. I eliminated the back seam because of the ruffles which made this a three piece top including the neckband. I was careful cutting it out to make sure that all my ruffles were laying in the same direction. then I basted a 1/4" from all edges to keep the ruffles flat while basting the top together. All in all it went together really well and I was really happy with it. Then, of course, disaster struck.

I usually really like my serger, and I like all the knit tops that I have been able to make with it. Yet for some reason I STILL keep catching fabric that is not supposed to be caught and then not finding it until I have sliced through it. This is not the first time, and I'm guessing it won't be the last {big sigh}. In my defense there was layers of fabric with all the ruffles so I didn't pick up on the fact that it was suddenly too thick as I was feeding it through Sergio. If there is a bright side to this big cloud it's that I'm getting really good at fixing my screw-ups! I got out a needle and thread and hand sewed the cut bits with tiny stitches. It's not completely invisible but I think it is wearable. It's more visible in the pics than in real life; if you didn't know it was there you probably wouldn't notice it, and if you do you are looking at it much too closely!

I used a ruffle with backing fabric to make the neck binding. It was a bit of a pain to work with but again I am happy with the final result.

I sewed along the 5/8" seam line for the sleeve openings, and then did a double fold to finish those edges. I was originally going to do a band there as well but thought it would be more work that it was worth, especially trying to catch all those ruffles properly. The hem is left unfinished, just cut short behind a ruffle. The top is cute and something different for an evening out, and I have enough fabric left over to make my darling daughter a skirt.