a trio of tops

over the past few days i have been making some jersey tops to extend my wardrobe. t-shirts are easy to buy, but i find them a bit too long and skinny to wear by themselves. t-shirts are also, luckily, really easy to make if you have a good pattern.

grey rugby top

the first top i made was from Butterick 5104 view C, from some fine jersey out of my stash. it has a tiny stripe in it and there wasn't quite enough (as usual!) so i used a matching grey to make the top of the sleeves. i'm really happy with this because it adds a sporty look and a bit of designer detail. this "rugby" look happens to be on trend also, as i discovered the next day when paging through a magazine.

rose tattoo top

i wanted to use the same pattern and change up the look with a different fabric, and found some ultra fine burnout jersey in my stash. i extended the side seams and hem out a few centimetres, cropped the sleeves to 3/4 length and added an afterthought cowl neck. because the fabric is so fine i overlocked the whole thing together with 3 threads and left the hems raw; quite acceptable going by similar $200 tops in the boutiques! this top is great with pants and jeans and when i tried it on, it reminded me of tattoos, especially when layered under sleeveless garments to give the look of tattooed 'sleeves'.

red licorice top

for my final trick i wanted to get my teeth into something more difficult. i have had this pattern traced for a while and both my sisters have made it already (Manz has made it twice). its from knipmode magazine April 2008 design #13, and i used a poly/viscose jersey from Spotlight that has a crepe finish. i'm really happy with this top, although i found it a little short in the body and sleeves. i cut the sleeve bands a bit longer to rectify this, but with the snug fit and the length, this will be best with skirts.

draping closeup

i didn't have any problems with the sewing of this top, but that's probably because i have looked at the one Manz made. we have a habit of looking at the inside of each others handmade clothing and inspecting all the details! if you do want to make this pattern and have trouble deciphering the instructions, many other people on the net have made it and i suggest  the pattern review site or the fehrtrade blog for extra information.
now that i've made some sensible clothing, it's time to turn my hand to more frivolous sewing!