So, I bought this piece of very nice, thin, cotton jersey from the Fabric Store in Melbourne, during Mum, Cassie’s and my trip there late last year. It is elegantly drapey, feels deliciously soft, and the ivory, pale yellow and apricot stripes went perfectly with my apricot skirt fabric. I bought them together, planning a nice little skirt/top set. Which of course explains why I am not wearing them together right now! ha! the logic, I lack it; clearly.
Anywayz, I chose and bought the fabric, washed it, pegged it up and only then! noticed a horrific thing, the stripes were printed on the fabric terrifically off-grain, which in itself would not be too much of a disaster except that it had been cut in the store for me as though the stripes were on-grain. I had only planned a little top, so had only asked for a little piece. So I had this rather smallish and off rhombus with which to somehow wrangle a top. Great.
So although my plan was for something very simple, it didn’t seem like it was going to be simple at all. I agonised and pondered for a bit. Finally I was just like, oh to heck with it! I’ve got to just make something. Anything!
I decided to embrace the wonkiness, and make a wonky, off, little top from out of my wonky, off, little piece of fabric. This is Burda 04-2014 111, and is the second version of this pattern that I have made; my first version is here.
Because I am rather obsessive about corralling at least some sense of order to my wonkiness, I cut my top on-grain and very carefully measured, cut and sewed my body piece so that the stripes matched up as perfectly as I could get them at the one side seam. So the stripes have become one stripe, rotating around and gently down my body like that on a barber shop pole, and because of the twist of the top are slightly more horizontal on the back.
The inner seams are finished with the overlocker, but I didn’t want any overlocking “on show”. So I flat-felled the seam in the cowl part of the neckline, so it looks nice and neat if you happen to catch sight of the inside. In this design, a very probable occurrence. The shoulder seams are also flat-felled for strength.
I left the raw edges of cowl and sleeves raw, because the jersey is very stable and does’t really need finishing. The edge naturally curls up quite nicely and I like how this looks 🙂
To get as much length to the top as I could I added a wedge of fabric onto part of the bottom edge. The lower edge is simply overlocked, turned under once and stitched using a twin needle. One thread is white, the other ivory, but I’m just fine with that. Didn’t want to wind another bobbin for just one little hemline. For what should have been a nothing-much top, I reckoned I’d expended enough thought on this thing already!
Details:
Top; Burdastyle magazine 04/2014, 111, jersey stripe
Skirt; Vogue 1247 lined, ivory curtaining fabric, details here and my review of this pattern here
Sandals; 2 baia vista, from Zomp shoe boutique
Ok that was a fantastic save! I think I would have thrown the fabric to the bottom of the pile in disgust or turned it into underwear.
This is very cute. I like wonky stripe tops 😉 And that Burda magazine was full of treasures!
I'm amazed you got this whole top from that tiny scrap of fabric, and snatched victory from the very jaws of disaster too! I love the barber pole effect – so clever!
What a great top! Loving the wonky stripes.
You have made a really cute little top out of what most of us would have seen as an unusable piece of fabric. Brilliant!
It's cuter than it would have been had the stripes been on grain!!!
thanks Judi! yes I was cross with the stripes at first but now am I'm happy they are diagonal like that 🙂
I actually like it with the stripes off grain like that!
That wonkiness is kind of appealing. Well thought out construction detail.
thanks Rianna! yes I thought it kind of appealing too, which spurred me on to use it to good effect 🙂
I have no idea how you got a long-sleeved top out of that tiny pieces of fabric! Love it
The off-grain stripes look completely intentional! Nice save, and amazing you squeezed all that top onto such a tiny piece of fabric. And it could be that the fabric was on-grain when cut… I've had it happen to me several times that a fabric completely twisted after washing. Very frustrating, but you managed such a cool top out of it!
thanks lisa g! but trust me, the cut was way way off.
The wonky stripes are terrific. One of the best, and sometimes hardest, parts of sewing is the creative problem solving that's required. This is such a great example!
thank you Noelle! 🙂
This is the perfect design for the fabric issues you had! It looks perfectly intentional.
And I know all about off-grain stripes… In the past, I've even come across jersey which had the stripes knitted in and somehow still managed to be ridiculously wonky and off-grain. Fortunately, I noticed that when buying the fabric and I got it for half price because of it (and the seller threw the rest of the bolt on the 'sale' pile)
great striped top, that coral color is nice on you. As for stripes, oh yes, I know what you mean and I have cringed – tried to explain, and just hoped for the best so many times at the fabric store watching the person cut a very crooked or diagonal "straight" cut. what can we do ? 🙂
Huh, so that's how that top looks in the real world. I'm pretty sure I have a similar Burda pattern in one of my magazines, and the technical drawing has made me wonder how it actually fits on a human! Also, very creative use of the fabric! It's a shame it was so off-grain, but I'm glad you were still able to find a use for it.
It seems like lately all knit fabrics are printed off-grain. Yours is a happy accident though, its wonderful a bit wonky!
Your top looks fabulous! I love the candy cane stripiness! 🙂
Awesome save! Really like the uniqueness of it.
I love these kind of "accidents" as it really pushes the creative buttons! This shirt is much better than any perfectly printed shirt could ever be! You made great use of this fabric and as usual, your craftsmanship is impeccable! Love it!
I LOVE this top! Well, biased comment here as I love knits, with their casual feel. And I also love the thought that you will dress it up by pairing it with your apricot skirt! Can't wait to see pics 🙂
What a great save! Very interesting top.
such a classic, very pretty look!
lacee swan
You did a stellar job of imagining what to do with such a wonky cut. It looks great on you and will look great with your apricot skirt, which is a beauty IMHO. My question is: because the cut is so unusual what does that top feel like when you're wearing it? Does it pull anywhere, does it feel wonky?
Vancouver Barbara
thank you Barbara!
Yes, the design does pull slightly across the left shoulder, which is the side on a fold, with no side seam. My fabric is soft and stretchy though so I do not find it uncomfortable at all 🙂
I am so amazed by your save! Truly impressive. The wonky stripes are such a great design feature.
Brilliant save!! I love that pattern, you've inspired me to have a go at that too.
What is it with stripes these days? I bought some striped boiled wool that was off grain last year.
Brilliant use of what might have ended up as a duster here. I love the intentional 'wonkiness'. Well done!
I adore the directions of the stripes – its really brilliant and well done on your perseverance – that type of off grain issue would bring me out in a cold sweat (i still have a piece cut crooked by the fabric store that ended up in stash – every time i come across it i just roll my eyes and move on….. )
I think the fabric shop should be ashamed of itself, personally. You've pulled it off without quite looking like a barber's pole, but although the fabric is no doubt very nice, I'm not sure orange stripes would be my favourite of your outfits. You're to be applauded for your determination in making it work!
The devil I tell you! I've had my off grain issues, but this is so off it's a feature ("…not a bug" – old joke from Microsoft days) and you've done better by it than it deserves, and using one of the stranger shirt patterns from the last few years.
Sent this post to the shop? I do hope so. Hearty round of applause for you!
thanks so much SJ! I sure hope the shop noticed the stripes were on the diagonal before they cut any more for someone else 🙂
Love doing diy projects like this! X
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You certainly made a very frustrating find into a great top with matching side seams!
That is so bizarro… I would have been puzzling over this for weeks. Just looks like diagonals in a happy way now!
Hi Carolyn! I love this top but have a question…how do you finish the sleeve seams when leaving the edge raw at the hem? I have done this on several shirts but always find that the end of my sleeve seam looks messier than I would like and isn't terribly stable. If you have any tips to share, I would appreciate it!
thank you s! I sew the sleeve seam on my regular machine, ending at the hem edge, which seems to be a neater option, then overlock close to the previous stitching, then thread the tail end of the overlock threads through a wide-eyed "wool" needle and weave them back into the overlocked seam to finish. The seam itself tends to sit flat and doesn't "roll" back like the rest of the sleeve hem edge, but it still looks quite neat and nice 🙂
Great use of off grain fabric. It looks really stylish.
Great save. It's one of my big Fabric store gripes actually that a lot of their knits are off grain. I make them unwind much more, and then ask to them give me extra. The last Marc Jacobs one I bought was an off grain marle, and the girl was so flippant – she actually said 'oh this ones nowhere near as bad as some we get'. For $17/m I was not at all happy with that comment!
great tip! I love that you embraced the wonkiness of it all and end up with a super awesome shirt!
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Your shirt is great and the Burda pattern is on my 2-do-list since published.
Many thanks for sharing your idea how to rescue the fabric. I faced the same problem with my jersey (bought in Frankfurt/Germany so it seems to be a world wide problem ;o))
br, Nina
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