Okay, back to a garment sewn at Sewjourn in November last year (there will be quite a few 2015 finishes coming up).  I have used Simplicity 1625 for Clare quite a few times now.  You can see the first dress version here and a top here.  There is also another dress still to be blogged.

This top was a special request.  She really loved the pineapple fabric I’d used for my Aeolian tee, and wanted something using the same fabric.  We chose to sew the top with short sleeves.

This pattern isn’t designed for knits, but for wovens. However, a stable cotton jersey knit like this one from Darn Cheap Fabrics behaves in a fairly similar way to a woven. I chose to face the neckline with an inch wide strip of the same fabric, applied to the right side then turned to the inside and stitched down with a zig-zag about half an inch or so from the neckline edge. I then trimmed off the excess. This gives a nice flat finish with minimal bulk, and as the strip is from a knit, it doesn’t fray.

The back is one of the nicest parts of this tee. The neckline is finished, then the strap across it attached. It’s not hard. I used the overlocker for garment construction, and finished all the hems by turning once then zig-zagging. I’m quite keen on the zig zag for finishing knits at the moment instead of the twin needle. It often gives a flatter finish, and is certainly easy to do.

I possibly sewed this as size 10 girls with size 8 width; it’s hard to remember considering that was back in November! It’s a swingy shape that is easy to wear. Clare has actually grown quite a bit over the past few months, so I’ve been busy sewing her a number of summer garments. Stella is pretty happy to see them all coming out from the machine too, as eventually everything that was Clare’s will be hers!  There are a few challenges in sewing for a thirteen year old as short and still as slight as Clare, in that she wants clothes that express her personality (she wears a lot more colour and print than many of her friends) and are current teen styles, but that fit and flatter her shape.  We have had a lot of success with the Simplicity and New Look tween range of patterns, and Lekala is also proving to be a great source of styles that fit.  I know that many of you read my blog more for the adult garments than the ones I sew for my girls, so be prepared that there are lots of tween garments to come over the next few posts!