BWOF 04-2009-112

I've wanted to make this top for some time, but several factors stopped me.

Looks simple enough, doesn't it?  Well, this pattern comes from my very first issue of BWOF, which my sister brought home from Switzerland for me.  She's a wonderful enabler and I love her for it!  It began my love affair with burda.  But, the issue is in French, and while I took some French in High School, it's been a few years.  I also really wanted to use this striped slinky knit to make it.  Stripe matching + slinky knit = definite swearing.  When Mom was here last weekend, she gave me some slinky sewing tips that she learned at Expo, so I just decided I was going to throw caution to the wind!

And check out the mad stripe matching!!  Across the sleeve seam and across the body!  And can you even see the side seam in the top pic?  Now, this pattern is made up in a stripe in the mag, so you'd think it would work well in a stripe, wouldn't you??

What happened to my raglan seams????  There was no possible way to match them.  There are 4 stripes on the body and five on the sleeve.  What's going on, burda??

Of course, the back is mismatched as well, although I did get the bottom stripe to match.  Grrr.

Well, I still like this top, but if I make it again, it won't be in a stripe!!  And I'll lengthen it.  It was way short, so I had to add the band at the bottom.  I actually think it works with the cuffs and neckband.  I think this ends my string of navy.  Maybe I'll actually have to *gasp* thread my sewing machine!

As for the sewing of slinky, I actually didn't think it was all that bad, although I wouldn't recommend it for your first knitwear!  I used the recommendations from "More Fabric Savvy" as well as these great tips.  I used a 130/705 H-S stretch needle with poly metrosene thread and a narrow (0.5 on my machine) but long (3 for me) triple zigzag for the seams.  I decreased the presser foot pressure significantly and used a Teflon foot to reduce stretching in the seams.  A walking foot or serger with differential feed would have been great, but I don't have either of those things, so I made do, and it worked out fine.  Since I ended up using a band at the hems, I didn't need to hem it, but from my reading I had decided that I was going to use the steam a seam lite with twin needle method.  Since I didn't I can't really comment on that.

Despite my stripe mismatch, I'm happy with my first foray into slinky.  You should give it a go, too!  It's such a great fabric to wear!