Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Yoked Daisy Swing Top

 Several months ago I was doodling and came up with a few knit shirt ideas I wanted to try out. This is the first of them!

  I'm considering turning this one into a multi-sized pattern, so I started by drafting a knit tee block in a standard size, then altering it into this design.

 I lengthened it a couple of inches at the hem for Booper, who is a bit taller than average for a six-year-old.

  I love yokes on little girls! I made flat piping from some mustard ponte I had leftover from other projects (also used here and here) and inserted it between the yoke and main body.

  The main body portion is very flared, for a fun swingy silhouette.

  The sleeves are gathered, and I used elastic thread an inch above the hem for a ruffled look:

  The hems are lettuce-edged, of course. =)

  I wanted to keep pattern pieces to a minimum for this, and I think I succeeded in that... there is a yoke piece, a sleeve piece, and a body piece. It's the same in the front and back, so it could be worn either direction.  Well, except for the label I sewed into the yoke! I bought mine from The Dutch Label Shop. Isn't that fun? I just wish I'd sewn it on straight....

  The fabrics are all from Girl Charlee... the floral is a rayon-blend jersey (no longer available, but this one appears to be a different colorway of the same print), the mustard is a ponte knit bought a couple of years ago, and the white is a basic cotton/spandex blend.

  I am really, really happy with how this one turned out! It's even cuter than I expected it to be, and I love the way it hangs and moves!

  And somehow I managed to make it, from drafting the knit block to weaving in the serger threads, in only about 6 hours! Quite a contrast to my current project, which I started months ago.

  It's also Booper's new favorite shirt! Why? Apparently it's very comfortable!

  I want to make a Foof-sized one of these next, but in dress length! Hopefully that ends up as cute as it is in my head!

  I've also got a few ideas for variations on the yoke and sleeves... If only I had time to sew them!

  My usual sewing time has been reduced to a mere nubbin lately, and I've been too tired to do much in the remainder. I need to figure out a system that works better for us! I suspect that the solution lies in a much earlier bedtime and morning for me, so I can sneak in some sewing before the girls wake up.

  That's also why I haven't been posting as often.... I can't write a full post in 15 minutes! And when I spread it out over several days I have a hard time making it cohesive.

  But I'm happy I had some time today! =)

Thanks for stopping by,

4 comments:

  1. It's so pretty! I love those round yokes too. I hear you about the time issue. I usually try to post at least twice per week but I've had so much to do this week that I don't think the second post will be happening.

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    1. Thank you! The identical back and and front armscyes are kind of bothering me though... I think I'm going to change that for the next version! There never is enough time, is there?

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  2. That really does look super comfortable!
    I never seem to find such cute fabrics at Girl Charlee. I mean..they're THERE, I guess my eyes don't see them in their final form and I pass them by.

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    1. Thank you!
      I came really close to not getting this fabric, and there are a bunch that didn't catch my eye until I saw them sewn up elsewhere, so I know what you mean!

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