Rocking My World

Have you ever discovered something that just rocked your world?

That's how I felt when I first found Knitting From The Top.  The whole process of designing a sweater was laid out so simply that I felt like a whole new world of knitting was now open to me.

And that's also how I felt when I found this tutorial for how to copy your favorite t-shirt.  Suddenly I found myself looking through my closet at all my favorite knit shirts and thinking "I can make more of you!"

You see, it all started with a trip to Anthropologie where I found a t-shirt that I fell in love with.  Three quarter length sleeves with a fitted top but a more flowy bottom (is that even a word?).  I was in love and soon became obsessed with the idea of learning how to copy it so that I could have more.

I ended up copying the shirt using pins, parchment paper, a flattened diaper box, and the method described in the tutorial (What?  You don't consider an old diaper box a sewing notion?).  And what do you know?  It totally worked.  I was a little worried that this top wasn't going to work because the original shirt is made out of 100% cotton jersey and this fabric is a rayon/spandex blend, but in the end all that meant was that this top is incredibly soft and drapes beautifully.  I opted to leave the sleeves and the hem raw and I bound the neck using this tutorial (my new favorite way to finish a knit neckline).  In looking at the shirt, I wish I had made it a bit longer (maybe 3/4 of an inch or so) but this version is definitely very wearable.  And this in itself is a miracle because in trimming the neckline I cut a hole in the shirt about an inch below the neckline.  I cannot tell you how mad I was when I realized what I had done.  In the end I ended up smacking a tiny bit of fusible interfacing behind the hole, pulling the neck binding down as much as I could to cover up some of the hole, and putting some tiny stitches in the shirt to sew up what couldn't be hidden.  The fix isn't perfect but it's good enough.  And I haven't seen anybody pointing at my shirt and laughing when I've worn it out, so that's gotta be a good sign, right?

Don't have the time/energy/effort to trace your own favorite shirt?  Check out Kristin's new (free!) pattern - the Scoop Top!  And don't say I never did anything for you.