Confidence is the feeling you have before you understand the situation.
~ Mark Twain
I had a couple of free hours and decided to try my "quick and easy" RTW-copy project a second time. There were 2 issues with my first attempt (
here).
First was the neckline - I cut a neckline band the same length as the neckline, and got a rippled, lettuce leaf effect. The second was the sleeves - they had too much fabric that bunched up the arms.
I noted that the sleeve pattern I copied from my RTW top was very flat and some internet research suggested that a steeper sleeve cap would reduce the amount of underarm fabric. Although, Debbie pointed out that another important variable is the depth of the underarm seam. (She recommends 1/2 inch below the armpit - especially for knits - see
here.)
So, I took the very flat sleeve pattern from my first attempt and a commercial sleeve pattern with a steep sleeve cap...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPaZ3NwIyoCKjkwwJ169ONlQoIPKtqMq6-xBdK1DMjnH5XW3iF3E0-YwgUJOjTKo3dS_81VEVqY4wsX_TM8Jy_VL490f8oO6aiJKVR_1ATJb_QewingdRLKh9ZIPdzl1WjGclk78dobE/s320/IMG_3262.JPG)
... and sketched an intermediate version:
I figured that I might need to modify the armholes a bit to fit these revised sleeves, so I took the same commercial pattern and overlaid it on my RTW copied pattern and, again, sketched a mid-way line:
Once the fabric was cut with my revised pattern, this knit top serged together in a heartbeat. My order of construction was: shoulder seams, sleeves, side seams (including underarm seams) and then coverstitch hems.
I always have a hard time getting my fabric edge to line up nicely with my coverstitch. This time I tried basting a guideline first:
I turned the fabric along the guideline as I fed it through my machine.
The result is okay - possibly better than my usual results, but still far from the perfection that I see on other blogs... :(
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRuT9rWBTaOIU8KfriIQaNd-QPvaBxgLcFgHHB1CwLFT7UFEX69MLxZFF8jfqe4gtjEdc8ktEpcmmMyoUHb-1HhDu030qW0Uz-egda_9ac3o9xoe5hRoNguXDAscuLq2C71hbQ4X4Bk8/s320/IMG_3268.JPG)
Finally, issue #2 - the neckline. Between advice from commenters and a couple of my sewing books, I saw a huge range of recommendations for how much to shorten the neckline band before attaching to the shirt. I (somewhat randomly) picked 20%.
The result is a nice-looking neckline - but unfortunately I lost the original shape - which was a boat neck.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWyZTfB8HmzXtAIbDpGg110-xoMgdUGNPhZeOyxb1lxfiBpc_J_XNDuAGMJp2SasrxIrXS36TJcYTDgv2BjHWoWjcNIcjOyZgoS1OpXotClO8ZQipDi8k78ujbVuTTugHnFXZVZ-xUAU/s320/IMG_3270.JPG)
Also, given that the cut of the neckline was for a boat neck, it isn't scooped enough for this style of collar and it kind of rubs against my neck in the front.
So, here are some comparison shots of attempt #1 and attempt #1. Blogger flipped this first picture and I can't figure out how to get it flipped back. But it's my first version - notice the wavy collar and the practically straight line from shoulder through sleeve...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvmRFxECcWAikfEvVxL93W8cStOKdPq3ibxq1gF6xPIL7bDsc-UpoGlBzxNUVUPwIPdd9oHF02xu-veSdvkJQjVlNPjqxbnxoTztkmX4Kp-OKbDDEzd1x5fHneODpzE3CrdqLG3tGmc4/s320/IMG_3272.JPG)
And here is my second version. As you can see, the collar is much improved and there is a slight downward angle at the end of each shoulder for the sleeves.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4TedmqOMK1FGWEOJR_EOnVkOH_Mc7qpnKvnIkUWOSxphavmgbxTys0aZEgp0enMqYD1pw2FBXCe2Tdv_j9wILJdQW6Labe2vK6tZSGF2xO1ampSLVXedHJokKljJiOfAvc4AAihyf1M/s320/IMG_3271.JPG)
Looks like my "quick and easy" project is going to require a third attempt! Oh well, I think I'm learning a lot on this project! And hopefully I'll end up with a TNT pattern for many knit tops. :)
I hope you had a wonderful sewing weekend and are ready for the work week to start. :)
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