My first of many Taos Tops
If you haven’t read my journal entry on the Carrie Cardigan, I found this fabric at JoAnn’s on the clearance rack. I love the color and the softness so much that I bought a bunch of yardage. Since I already made a Carrie Cardigan with it, I can’t wait to see how this Taos Top turns out.
Before I get into documenting how I worked through this pattern, I want to make a note here: I made this top so fast that I didn’t take many…any…pictures. I think from cutting fabric to finished product took about an hour. When I make the second one, which I WILL, I will take more pictures.
There were a few views the choose from: two different necks and two different bottom finishes. I couldn’t pick one, so I combined them. If you can’t make things your way while sewing, then what is the point. Right?
I chose the cowl neck and the rounded bottom. The things I was most excited about were the fitted seams and inserted the cowl. I have never had to create a seam in a shirt that starts at the armpit and ends at the bottom to fit the shirt around the bust. I am hoping that it is a better experience than my arch nemesis: darts!
There are instructions for using a regular sewing machine and a serger to finish the seams or just a serger. I chose to go with the sewing machine first because I don’t trust my serger skills to just do something so fitted in the chest. No one needs “bumpy seam boobs”.
I tested out the stretch stitch with some cotton just to make sure that I had the zig zag narrow enough.
Matching chest seams for front and back, easy peasy. Shoulder seam, easy. Inserting the cowl, easy. At this point I was worried that I was doing something wrong because it was all going so super easy. On to the arm holes…
As I went through each step in the arm and neck, I had to remember to mark known points and work the stretch around them. It’s the thing to remember when working with knits…mark points and work it in. So, marking the center neck, center back and both shoulders to then make sure that the in between stretched to fit correctly.
The other thing I always forget with knits is steam, steam, steam! It helps so immensely to keep the seams where they are supposed to.
If you are looking for a versitile top in a knit, this is the top! I am serious about making more.
Pattern: Taos Top
Fabric: JoAnns
