I've finally joined the sewing with knits club! And where better to start than Tilly Walnes' cute and simple Coco pattern. Although I love sewing cotton dresses and they definitely fill a gap in my wardrobe, the majority of my day to day wear consists of jersey and knit pieces so I want to be able to make some comfortable basics as well as the fun stuff.
For my first Coco top I used a plain, dusky purple interlock knit so I didn't need to worry about pattern matching. I very much approached this project as a wearable toile/muslin and thankfully it turned out wearable!
I cut a size 4 for the shoulders and bust and graded down to a 3 at the waist as my bust measurement fell into a bigger size on the chart and I'm aware have fairly substantial shoulders. As you can see the finished top is quite roomy and actually drops off my shoulders so I have retraced the pattern and cut a straight 3 for my second version (oh yes, there's another Coco already!) The slouchy fit on this however doesn't bother me. It's nice to have a relaxed top which I can layer with vests.
The only other alteration I made to this pattern was a 1/4 inch high round back adjustment and when I was finishing the top I only turned up the hems by 1/2 inch as I needed the length.
The only other alteration I made to this pattern was a 1/4 inch high round back adjustment and when I was finishing the top I only turned up the hems by 1/2 inch as I needed the length.
The shoulder seams still pull back slightly but I'm unsure how to correct this. If I increase the high round back adjustment any further I risk really distorting my back neckline and would need neckdarts to correct the position. I've debated making a forward shoulder adjustment as it's a common alteration made in conjunction with high round backs and I used it on my sleeved Elisalex dress, but I don't think forward shoulders are my problem. I don't have a hunched position, my shoulder blades are just massive! Perhaps that adjustment is used to correct both problems? Any insight on this matter is appreciated!
I think my favourite thing about this project was using a twin ballpoint needle, I felt like such a pro. My sewing machine doesn't have a second spool holder though so the spool ended up twirling around in a little bowl next to the machine. Look at my sleeves and main hem. Swish!
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However the twin needle did not like the sticky hemming tape I used to stabilise the neckline and ended up skipping quite a few stitches, especially around the shoulders. I've chosen not to be too bothered by it though and just won't use that tape again. To be honest it made turning over the neckline a total pain.
I also got to use my overlocker on a knit fabric. Yay for fancy insides. I still did all the construction on my sewing machine as I am not confident enough to steer with my overlocker yet. It moves so fast and has a mind of its own. It's safer just to use it for finishing edges for the time being.
So all in all I'd say this was a fairly successful project. I didn't find the knit fabric too difficult to sew, probably because I've sewn with worse things already (I'm looking at you slippery lining fabric, grrrr) and I've already worn the top a few times. I like the gentle, flared shape over the hips and the side splits - nice details for an otherwise plain top.
The most interesting discovery I've made is that I actually feel a bit weird wearing a completely solid coloured top. I find myself needing to wear fun necklaces to make it feel more "me". I am a pattern person at heart (not that you can tell from my wallpaper....) however I recognise it's handy to own a couple of plain tops.
I shall return soon to reveal Coco number 2..... in dress form..... in pattern..... with POCKETS!