Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Uptown Girl: A Quick And Easy Top!


The Uptown Top by A Verb for Keeping Warm
 (available on our website and in our store)
It's been super warm in the Bay Area and my thoughts are turning to spring! 2015 is feeling like an amazing year to make clothing! Please stop by and join me to get inspired at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics if you are anywhere near the Bay. You can also shop in our webstore for patterns, fabric, notions and more!!!

Want a top that you can whip out in a few hours?  We found the Uptown Top, a pattern from our newly added indie pattern company, A Verb for Keeping Warm.  It's a simple top to make, especially if you use a soft knit that you don't need to serge or zig zag the seams. The pattern includes three sizes, but even the smallest size is very generous.
This top is so easy, the neck can be finished with its facing or you could use a simple bias strip. We made our Uptown Top with the band at the bottom, making it long enough to wear with leggings.  You can leave off the band and wear it with pants or jeans as the pattern makers suggest.

We chose a soft rayon, poly with spandex knit with a funky striped pattern (The Mellow Knit). The hardest part of constructing this top is deciding how to place the stripes! Laurel tried several versions of the layout by just folding the fabric in different ways, fashioning it into a fake top to just get an an idea of the look we want for the finished top. Its like fabric origami!






















In the end, we varied the direction of the stripes to find the most flattering design combination for my body type. Voila! Sewn in 90 minutes flat!

Love this knit as much as us? Find it in our store!
You could make this top out of a silk or rayon for a dressier version - any flowy fabric with a soft hand would be perfect. If you do use a woven fabric, it will take a little longer as you will have to finish the seams (serged, zig-zagged or take our Perfect Seams Class #312 to learn the many ways if finishing your seams!). You can also "color block" the fabrics, using different colors for the body, sleeves and band.  So many possibilities!

This top is so much fun to wear, Laurel tried it on as well and fell in love (of course)!

 

Get ready to work on knits right now! We have classes to further support you in making wonderful and unique knit garments that fit and are easy to wear!

Come take one of our many classes! You can take a class specifically for working on knits or take one of our 101 or 102 series courses to have more sessions to sew and work on any project, knit or otherwise. You can also take one of our 250 Sew Labs for three hours "do it now" help!


Creatively Yours,
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