So this is the other gym tank I made last week on my vacation.
It's Simplicity 9776 again, modified to use FOE as I learned in the PR class "More Knits" last summer.
Both the stretch lace and the turquoise knit I used for underlining came from Michael Levine Loft in LA during my November trip with Rachel and Janette. This lace only stretches crosswise. The overall effect is the lace looks more refined somehow, but the top is less stretchy overall. The FOE is from Pacific Trimming from MPB Day this year.
My serger really hacked up the inside of my black and white tank. I was wondering, do I need to replace the blade? Break down and buy a serger that threads itself and adjusts its own tension? I wound up serging really slowly this time and I also, cough cough, read the manual. It turns out my serger manual has a chart with the suggested settings for each tension disk as well as recommendations for the differential feed. Ahem--a better place to start than what I had been doing--trial and error and getting massively frustrated. For this tank, the right settings were: 5 5 4 3.5 with DF = N
I used this stretch lace trim to finish the bottom edge with a zig zag stitch. That was because I couldn't use the selvedge because the stretchiness really was crosswise. On my black and white tank, the direction with the most stretchiness was lengthwise, so I could cut it using the selvege as the bottom edge.
I wore it at the gym to boogietone on Monday night, but I got to class just as it was starting, and my sewing cheerleader Sara wasn't there, so no comments were made. Overall I think the lining inside the top should be a little smaller than the lace itself.
I made 2 and a half more things during my vacation....so still more to show you! I am especially excited about the dress that is half finished. I really want to finish it this weekend.
Here is a gratuitous cat picture of the stray my dad is feeding. Due to the cat's coloring, I suspect this cat is a tortie female, but I don't know...the cat definitely has tortitude! The cat is a bit skittish and only wants to be on the back porch for a short while.
Be well!
Very cute tank. I love the lace over the lining. Is the lace easy to work out in? ~Teri
ReplyDeleteYes, it is! It's stretch lace so it seems to "work out" well (ha ha ha ha ha).
DeleteWow! Very professional and it looks elegant enough to put under a blazer for dress up.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I hadn't considered doing that!
DeleteOMG! You must be the chic-est gal at the gym in this awesome top!
ReplyDeleteThere is one lady at the gym who has me beat--she must have a different gym outfit every day of the month, or possibly longer! Sometimes I'm behind her in class and try to figure out how her tops were bound. :)
DeleteBeautiful top. Love it! It's pretty enough to wear on a night out with a statement necklace and a pretty bracelet. Gorgeous color too. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThanks--I hadn't thought about wearing it that way!
DeleteIt is such a glam gym top. I love the lace pattern and I'm so into aqua/turquoise lately I can't help but love this. Just about the blades, I have had my overlocker more than 25 years and never changed a blade so I wouldn't think you'd need to but I have noticed some fabrics (very few) just don't cut well. I had one the other day and thought I'd have to change the blades but cut something else and it was fine.
ReplyDeleteI love aqua/turquoise too! Good to know that you've had a similar problem and it wasn't the blade.
DeleteI agree that you must look pretty snazzy in your workout gear! I am glad your sewcation was productive, and look forward to seeing the other things you made!
ReplyDeleteThanks Vanessa--stay tuned!
DeleteEven though my serger is a Bernina, there are obviously translation problems (from the Chinese?) in the manual.
ReplyDeleteI took the serger classes that came with my machine where we compiled samples. Then I found a serger 'notebook' from an older class at a garage sale. This is where I store my samples. And where I reference settings. You still need to serge on a waste piece prior to serging as different fabric behave differently. The references provide a starting point in which to make small tweaks.
Take a serger class - it's worth it.
I have taken a hands-on 3 hour serger class at the ASE, but maybe it's time to take another one?
DeleteI do make samples too, I don't know what happened with the black and white one though. I have been keeping my samples (not just serging but other things too like welt pockets and zipper pockets) and now I have a large bag of them, not sure what I'll do with them, ha ha. Making a binder of them sounds like a great idea.
Oh, and I also took the "Break your serger out of the box" class online at Pattern Review--and actually did it and all the homework too.
DeleteVery cute, just like the last one! Why can't I get my act together and make the workout tanks I've had planned in my head since January??
ReplyDeleteWhenever my serger decides to chew, I've discovered (after replacing the blade once already), that it's because it get's pushed out of alignment. I just have to go in and make sure it's lined up flush and it cuts like buttah. I know a fraction of what you do about serging (like nothing in comparison), but maybe this would be a simple solution??
Heh, Trumbelina, those tanks have been in my brain for ages too. I also wondered why I couldn't get my act together and just make them.
DeleteI agree about the alignment thing...I had to go slower to make sure I kept better control over the alignment. It's a combo of things that leads to good serging, methinks.