A quick black top

I've realised that I don't want to make every make a hard, complex make and there have been a few of these lately. During one of my recent pattern purchases I selected some Kwik Sew patterns. I've not used these patterns before. It was underwear patterns that caught my interest at first, but I also picked up Kwik Sew 3658, a dress/top pattern. Pattern notes: "Fitted pull-over dress and top with v-neckline and draped collar". It was the draped collar that caught my eye. And I thought it would be a good work staple.

I also picked up enough mid-weight black poly ITY to make it up. The pattern and fabric languished in my stash for a little while. But after my Oslo I was keen to follow up with another easy make. I've not had much experience with ITY. I was unsure what stitch would be best so I went to my sewing manual. My machine has 30-something stitches, half of which are stretch stitches. With my previous knits experiences, I have used the stretch straight stitch as well as a narrow zigzag, both with great success. But I thought I would try something different. In addition, the pattern has narrow seam allowances, so I tried an elastic overlock stitch to protect the seam from any fraying.

This pattern has four pieces: a front, back and two sleeves. I had it cut out and ready to sew in less than an hour. I had trouble visualising the collar; the front is self faced and the seam between the front and back is off the shoulder towards the back. But I faithfully followed the instructions and it all worked out.

But I am disappointed with how the seams turned out. Rather than a clean straight seam, the overlock seam has created a ripple effect on the seams. The most obvious is the centre front seam. You can see it pulling in the photo - although it doesn't look as bad when worn. I was discussing this issue with a sewist colleague. I mentioned "error". She scoffed and said "purposeful design." After I stopped laughing 😉 I realised that she's right. Just because the seam isn't smooth and how I wanted it to look at first, doesn't mean it's not "right." And the ripple seams does change a pretty bland top into something a little bit different. Fir is pretty good. ITY is pretty forgiving. I will make it up again and will add about 1" to the length.