Friday, November 7, 2014

How many tries does it take to make a minky top?

Apparently, it's three.

After making tentacles for my friend Bria, she said I could have the leftover pink/peach minky fabric. I thought it would make a cute and comfy top that I could put together super quickly using a simple kimono sleeve top pattern (the one I used for these fishnet tops). It's just two pieces - front and back.

This is a story of what happens when I get too excited and lazy and don't think through what I'm doing.

I cut out the top and sewed it together, as easily as expected. Put it on and...
It's too tight. Dammit. I had enlarged the pattern some since this fabric is less stretchy than the fishnet, but apparently not enough. I serged the seams so there's absolutely no seam allowance to let out. It actually looks great in photos, but it's not comfortable.


Ok. Try again. The second time, the neck came out too wide because I foolishly added width at the center front and back (on the fold when cutting) without making the neck opening smaller. There's technically nothing wrong with this version, I just didn't want such a wide neck. Bria didn't mind so I passed it on to her.



 Third try, finally what I wanted... now that I've used up all the fabric.



(If you like this skirt, I talk about it in a previous post)

Here's a comparison shot of the too-tight top and the one that fits correctly:


As you can see, the problem was mostly in the chest area. I serged the hems as well as all the seams. The tops went together very quickly this way.



I plan to wear this with high-waisted skirts, hence the short length. (I'm showing it with something lower-waisted so it's easier to see where the hem hits.)

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