La Mia Boutique turtleneck
21 February 2010, 13:01Before I tackle the Vogue sheath dress that will marry happily with my tweed jacket, I made a quick diversion in the form of a simple wintry knit top from the February 2010 La Mia Boutique magazine:
It’s a classic turtleneck pattern with a little bit of neckline gathering at the centre front, so there were only four pieces to trace (front, back, sleeve, and collar) and it was ridiculously quick to sew on the overlocker/serger and coverstitch. We’re talking a single evening in between preparing dinner here, folks!
Turning to the back…
The only problem is that, while those little neckline gathers look great from the front, they make a horrible little bubble that sticks out from your chest when you look at them in profile.
I’m only just starting to learn pattern drafting and manipulation (more on that another day) but I think this comes from creating too short a triangle when inserting the fabric for the gathers, if that makes any sense? It’d be an interesting lesson to cut this apart and try to fix the problem. The only other very slight improvement I’d make is to shave down the sleeve cap a tad as it’s a bit too high for my liking. But neither of these really impede my wearing it – I wanted a quick long sleeved top for the office since it’s kinda drafty in there and my arms and the back of my neck get chilly while I’m at my desk. And seeing as how my small office is entirely full of coding boys who never notice what I wear anyway, this is absolutely fine!
I was umming and ahhing on what fabric to use here, but I finally settled on some black cotton interlock/ribbing from my Brighton trip to Ditto Fabrics last June. I’ve still got a little less than a metre left after using it here and in the Punk Words day dress. The other point to note is that by La Mia Boutique’s size chart, I should sew a size 46, but because this pattern only goes up to a 44, I just thought I’d try that, and if it was too tight, I’d wear it as a base layer. But as you can see, a 44 is plenty big enough so now I’m not sure whether to sew a 44 or 46 for that draped dress…
And even though we did this photoshoot at the same time as the silver tweed suit, I thought for this one that my À bout de souffle haircut required the full Left Bank treatment with the back turtleneck and glasses styling… ahh oui oui!
tags: knit, la-mia-boutique, top
Hm, as someone who has been patternmaking for a little while, I guess I’ll give you my twopence on the fit of this top. I think the issue with the gathers is largely down to fabric weight. The fabric used in the magazine looks very drapey, so it wouldn’t create a bubble. If I were drafting a top like that, I’d use a jersey block with bust darts and convert those to gathers at the neckline (maybe spreading the pattern out a bit more). That would automatically create an inserted triangle to the bust point. Of course, I have no idea what the did at La Mia Boutique HQ. If you are going to alter the pattern, I’d recommend taking off about 1 cm at the shoulder as well. The shoulderline of the top hangs a bit from your shoulder (this might be why the sleeve cap seems too high). In a woven garment this is about where the shoulder seam should be, but for a jersey, it’s a bit low. Good luck on all pattern drafting and alteration trials!
— lauriana Feb 21, 03:47 PM #
I would agree with Lauriana about the fabric – a rayon or silk jersey (oo la la!) would probably hang better at the gathers, but you could certainly tweak the pattern a bit – there and at the shoulder – and you’d be set. It does look like a mighty cozy work top, too! This is what leftovers are all about.
— M Kate Feb 23, 07:17 PM #
I like the styling, you look tough! The little gathers add a nice feminine touch to the top, I like it.
— The Slapdash Sewist Feb 24, 01:15 AM #
I wouldn’t worry too much about the “bubble” either, this turtleneck looks great! Love the A Bout de Souffle look :)
— Isabelle Feb 25, 10:14 AM #
Maybe one of those light-weight ITY knits and then no bubble. If you use a print you wouldn’t have to worry about the shoulder line. But, I like to sew with heavier weight/solid knits too so redrafting the pattern to your taste might be better. Still, you have a nice top! Cheers! Evelyn
— Evelyn Mar 11, 09:04 AM #