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Very helpful review! Did you have any problems applying the clear elastic to this stretchy knit? I've run into some problems applying it myself and would love to know your technique. I've had problems with drag on both the needle (stretch 75) and presser foot (pressure reduced from a 4-setting (normal) to a 1). It was so hard to keep the elastic straight and feed the fabric through the machine without stretching the fabric. I even had some trouble pinning the elastic to the fabric. I tried different types of zig-zag stitches as well as the stretch overlock stitch on my machine. The elastic did (finally) go in neatly, but I did encounter stretching/distortion of the fabric. What's your secret? :)
10/11/02 11:47 AM
andrearn9, yes I had many problems applying the elastic. I don't have a "secret", and would love to hear of one! I cut the elastic to the length of the seam given on the pattern piece. I did not pin the elastic, just marked the half-way mark that would line up with the shoulder seam and stitched to fit. I figured that if I stretched the fabric, the elastic would bring it back to the right length. I used a regular zig-zag, reduced the pressure, and found that my applique foot worked better than my regular presser foot because of the large groove. I did get some distortions, but my fabric was very "forgiving" of mistakes because of its texture. You might try asking some of the experts...
10/12/02 4:24 AM
This one looks nice too.
10/22/02 5:55 AM
Good review, I love them all. About the elastic I find it bulky anyway, so I use 6mm cotton tape, or some pretty ribbon . Both seem to work quite well. I put the needle down thru both the shoulder and ribbon, then I stear the material with my left hand and sort of lift the ribbon and steer it with my right hand.
10/22/02 6:09 AM
Thanks for reviewing this. I have been want to try it since the long sleeve version was featured in a wardrobe planning article in Australian Stitches magazine. Cotton knit in a bulky or novelty yarn is one of worst fabrics for keeping its shape, although very comfortable to wear. Cutting it on the crossgrain was a good solution. If you do this again in a knit with better recovery it should be a lot easier.This looks like another simple but elegant Kwik Sew design.
10/22/02 10:40 AM
This is the type of top that I find very hard to fit in RTW. Yours looks very nice. The problems you described are not noticeable in the photo. (At least not to me.)
10/22/02 2:15 PM