Really into slits lately. Fall's also creeping around so it's the opportune time for light knits that fit nicely under a biker. Pick a fabric that looks like a knit but behaves like jersey for ultimate comfort.
Fabric, at least one-way stretch, mine is a wool-blend (1.3m) | Pins | Fabric marker | Scissors | Sewing machine & thread
I. Fold the fabric in half, right sides facing, and trace the other half of the top. Then cut that half, and fold over on the other side, allowing you to trace a symmetrical other side. You should basically end up with a large rectangle, with slanted edges at the shoulders. Mine measured 65 cm in width, 75 cm in length, and 25 cm at the shoulder line. Leave a 1 cm allowance and cut the whole thing out, leaving you with two identical pieces for the front and for the back.
II. Trace the neckline. I made the front just slightly deeper than the back. Cut with a 1 cm allowance.
III. Trace the sleeves. Fold the remaining fabric so the fold is length-wise, making sure fabric stretches in the direction of the sleeve's width. This will make it considerably more comfortable to wear. Note the sleeve part you're cutting now will only start at the middle of your bicep, so the width of the rectangle should be about half of the circumference of your arm at that point. My sleeve pieces were 40 cm long, which resulted in ready sleeves that are just a bit cropped. Leave a 1 cm seam allowance all around and cut.
IV. This is what you should have.
V. Take the front piece and fold the neckline 1 cm, and sew a straight stitch just next to the fold. Repeat for the back piece neckline.
VI. Place the front and back pieces together right sides facing, and pin the shoulder lines together. Sew a straight stitch through.
VII. Now for the sleeves. Mark the mid-point of the sleeve piece and pin that onto the shoulder seam, right sides facing. Continue pinning until the edges, repeat for the other sleeve. Sew a straight or stretch stitch 1 cm from the edge.
VIII. Last step; pin the sleeve edges together and continue pinning the sides of the top. Measure the same distance down from the armpit on both sides and place the last pin where you want the slits to start. When you sew a straight/stretch stitch along the edge, stop and the final pin.
IX. My fabric was the non-fraying kind on purpose cause I didn't want any unnecessary seams, so just left the sleeves and the hem raw.
xo,
Julia
Cute! Can you include pics of the pieces that you trace for patterns?
ReplyDeleteHi there! Not sure what you mean.. I actually don't use patterns, I just free-trace directly on the fabric:) I've included the measurements of the pieces in this one though (and for my newer posts I've started putting them directly in the images). Hope that helps!
DeleteJulia