FO: Mandy boat tee

I’ve not been in the mood for long projects lately so I’ve resorted to sewing with knits. I made this top using some dirt cheap cotton jersey I bought from the epic Cloth House sale a few months ago. Knits were going for £1 a metre and I came away with 8.5 metres of fabric – score! I used the Mandy boat tee pattern which is free from Tessutti. It’s a one size pattern, so very roomy. I was worried it might swamp me, so I compared the pattern measurements to a favourite RTW top and took 4 inches from the front and back width. I also shortened the pattern by a few inches.

I sewed most of this on my over locker, which the exception of the neckline, cuff and hem. I did have a scary moment though, when one of my pins went under the blade. Luckily the broken pin was caught in the overlocking.

I love the look of the boat neckline and my top stitching turned out ok. However it was a different story on the hem. Despite fiddling with the tension dials and stitch lengths, I kept getting slipped stitches. I tried stabilising the hem with some wash away tape but still no joy. I wasn’t using a fine jersey either so not sure why it wasn’t working.

It was only when I changed the needle from a twin stretch to a twin ball, that my stitches started to improve. But I still ended up with a few skipped stiches on one row of my stitching. They blend into the pattern so I can live with it.

I didn’t want the same results on my sleeve hems as they’d be under more strain, so I made bands for them. So what do I think about this top? I like the front but the back hangs a bit funny. It gapes open and this makes for a chilly back. I made the mistake of chopping too much off the hem which doesn’t help. The gaping at the back is solved by wearing a cardi. I’m not going to cry over it as the total cost of this top was £2! If I do make this again, I’ll lengthen it by a couple of inches.