Here it is, my first knit sewing project! Pattern is Moneta by Colette Patterns. In fact, I made this as part of the Moneta Sewalong.
Awhile back when Sarai of Colette Patterns first announced that she was coming out with a book on sewing with knits, she put out a really awesome deal on her website for pre-ordering the book plus two knit patterns as a bundle. The catch was that the patterns hadn't been released yet, so it was a mystery what I was buying. Normally I wouldn't buy something without knowing what it was, but Sarai's style really speaks to me, so I doubted that I would hate anything that she designed. I ended up receiving Moneta, the exact type of knit dress that I would wear, and Mabel, a pull-on pencil skirt, which is exactly the kind of skirt that my husband thinks I should wear (haha).
The fabric I chose for my Moneta was a medium weight light heather grey jersey. As much as I love the feel of bamboo and rayon knits, I didn't want to deal with something slippery on my first try with knits. I chose to do version 1, the sleeveless lined version, with the roll collar from the Moneta Extras download. I'm not the best photographer, and I took photos with three different backgrounds, and my dress just kept getting blown out into a giant blob of bright white. Sigh. If only I could get my camera to cooperate.
My measurements are all over the board (as usual), with my bust in-between a small and medium, my waist technically a large, and my hips a medium. Always the waist that gets me in trouble. Well, I chose to make a size medium since it would stretch and hopefully fit my waist. The fit was pretty good, except for a substantial gap in the armhole. I was a little irked that the pattern said to fit as you go, but then said that you couldn't try it on after sewing the side seams because you might stretch out the waist. I guess I should have ignored that and tried it on anyway, because I didn't notice the armhole gap until the whole thing was finished. I really didn't want to rip out overlock stitch (ugh) and undo the lining (double ugh). So, as my mom says, just keep moving and no one will notice. Or wear it with a cardigan. Either way, it's not devastating.
But how to fix the pattern for next time? I should know since I have an actual degree in design and took 6 quarters of pattern drafting classes. But, sadly, almost all the curriculum was based on wovens and about one week was dedicated to knits. I would know how to fix it if this was a woven, but there are no darts, and shouldn't be in a knit pattern. I remembered at my old job the patternmaker sort of smushing out the excess in the pattern piece, so I will try that. However, I'm not sure if I should adjust the armhole if I plan to add sleeves, since that would affect the armscye circumference. I guess I'll just worry about that when I get to that project...
The fabric I chose for my Moneta was a medium weight light heather grey jersey. As much as I love the feel of bamboo and rayon knits, I didn't want to deal with something slippery on my first try with knits. I chose to do version 1, the sleeveless lined version, with the roll collar from the Moneta Extras download. I'm not the best photographer, and I took photos with three different backgrounds, and my dress just kept getting blown out into a giant blob of bright white. Sigh. If only I could get my camera to cooperate.
My measurements are all over the board (as usual), with my bust in-between a small and medium, my waist technically a large, and my hips a medium. Always the waist that gets me in trouble. Well, I chose to make a size medium since it would stretch and hopefully fit my waist. The fit was pretty good, except for a substantial gap in the armhole. I was a little irked that the pattern said to fit as you go, but then said that you couldn't try it on after sewing the side seams because you might stretch out the waist. I guess I should have ignored that and tried it on anyway, because I didn't notice the armhole gap until the whole thing was finished. I really didn't want to rip out overlock stitch (ugh) and undo the lining (double ugh). So, as my mom says, just keep moving and no one will notice. Or wear it with a cardigan. Either way, it's not devastating.
But how to fix the pattern for next time? I should know since I have an actual degree in design and took 6 quarters of pattern drafting classes. But, sadly, almost all the curriculum was based on wovens and about one week was dedicated to knits. I would know how to fix it if this was a woven, but there are no darts, and shouldn't be in a knit pattern. I remembered at my old job the patternmaker sort of smushing out the excess in the pattern piece, so I will try that. However, I'm not sure if I should adjust the armhole if I plan to add sleeves, since that would affect the armscye circumference. I guess I'll just worry about that when I get to that project...
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