Wednesday 13 November 2013

Sewing with many stupid errors...finally an FO

I have finally finished my Ottobre tunic-tee shirt.
Here is the magazine image.




Having posted that the neckband was too short I realised (red faced, coughs)  that I had cut the neckband the wrong way...following the grain, not across.



Ooops.  I recut the neckband (luckily I had enough fabric left) and it was way way stretchier.  Are all you sewists laughing at my stupidity?


Then, I sewed the new neckband  on but it was now too big!  The neckband lay beautifully at the front but stuck up at the back. I wore the shirt a few times but was alawys concious of my crummily sewed neckband.  So finally I unpicked it, trimmed a little excess and reattached it.  School half term interrupted my progress at this. (Oh, those pesky children.)

Some stats:
Pattern from Ottobre Autumn/Winter 2013 pattern 1
I cut a 36 neck and shoulders and graded out to a 38 at the bust and stayed at 38 the rest of the way down to the hem.Next time, I would consider making the neck maybe 34 but keep the bust 38.
I used grey jersey bought from ebay.  I really like this jersey, it has just the right weight and feel or my liking.
For the neckband and pocket,  I used the remainder of my Oliver and S spotty yellow jersey bought in the Backstitch sale and used for a Renfrew.

The top sews up really fast, especially if, unlike me, you don't muck up the neckband.

I have worn it A LOT.  Especially with my memade skinny jeans.  It fits well and isn't tent like from the side!  It is a great little autumnal top suitable for my unglamorous life running after Rocket Girl!

Am I making it again?  Uh, yeah!  The pattern is made as a "normal" tee or the longer dress version. I am considering making both as I love having utilitarian everyday clothes that I like and that I made myself! Just got to think about fabric choices...and trying to stick to my resolution to sew up some stash  before buying any new fabric.

 Only one problem remains regarding this top....I have worn it so much that it now sports grease stains!  Yuk.  Any advice on removal?



13 comments:

  1. Love the top. I really enjoy wearing the basics that I have made too. Re grease marks, I often rub washing up liquid into the stain and let it sit for a few mins before putting it in the wash. It is not foolproof, but often very successful...

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    1. Thank you - I will try the washing up liquid and see how I get on. :)

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  2. Oooh, that is so cute! It really has a nice fit-- not too loose, but not constricting. I'm with Tamsin-- I use dishwashing liquid to remove grease stains. If it doesn't work on old grease stains, it sounds a little crazy, but sometimes it works to put a little cooking oil or something just on the old stain to reactivate it, and then the dish detergent will do its job. Detergents that say "de-greasing" or something like that usually work better than "natural" types.

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    1. I agree ths top has a nice cut to it, I am trying to avoid making any tent like clothes! I am definitely going to try the washing up liquid...:)

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  3. What a nice tunic, Debbie! That bit of yellow is so sunny and perfect for fall :-). I can see it again - as blouse, as dress, as another tunic! No good suggestions for grease stains unfortunately ...

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    1. Thank you, I agree it does seem a versatile pattern. I am thinking it could be useful for refashioning too xx

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  4. Debbie it's so cute!! Grey and yellow looks so pretty together. Really lovely length and shape too. Well done, you got there in the end!!

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    1. Thank you. I do like grey and yellow. The making dd seem to drag on! xx

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  5. Am very pleased to learn you finished your tunic :) Even nicer that you are now wearing it regularly so it has repaid your effort. It's difficult for me to find the time to sew at the moment, so I can sympathise with your frustrations!

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  6. This looks like a great wardrobe staple. I'm glad you were able to figure out the neck problem and fix it. It is a pain in the butt unpicking jersey fabric, isn't it!? ;)

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  7. Yay, it looks great! Grease stains are the worst :(

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  8. Pretty! It looks very cozy and wearable and I love the contrast pocket and neck binding. :)
    Neckband pattern pieces can be pretty useless, can't they? I usually just measure the neckline and then cut a band about 3/4s as long...

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