Among the Knip Mode issues Cidell loaned me was April 2008, home of the twist top that Melissa has been making. So exciting! I've wanted that pattern since the first version Melissa did, and she keeps making more. After a frustrating skirt experience over the weekend I needed a slam dunk to clear my palate and decided it was time to pull this out.
Knip Mode was an experience for me. Patrones is no problem because I speak enough Spanish that I can read the directions nearly as quickly and completely as I read English. I also speak French, and German and English are related enough to get the gist of German. But Dutch shares very little with English and I can't get a word out of it (except luckily the color words are close enough that you know which pieces to trace out!); even the names of the pattern pieces are a mystery. I relied heavily on the explanation Melissa gave for putting it together, particularly the magazine photo on which she had drawn lines to show how the pattern pieces fit together. She is right, the line drawing for this was the pits!
I traced and sewed it in under three hours and indeed got my slam dunk. This was despite challenging fabric--it's a mesh knit underlined with a black cotton/rayon (?) knit. I bought the mesh knit a couple years ago knowing it would be awful to work with, but I really loved the print. It's impossible to keep it flat and on grain (this was my second project with it) but luckily it's lightweight enough that these issues don't show up as distortions. Unfortunately, the photos do not show the details at all because my fabric is both dark and in a busy print, so you'll mostly just have to trust me on how great this pattern is. But you can see that the shape is interesting and flattering, but still a very relaxed fit to accommodate that extra layer of insulation the body wants to accumulate during the winter.
I'll definitely be making more of these, probably at least one of them a dress as Melissa did. All the photos are here, and the review is here. My goal was to get to 100 pattern reviews this year. I have a backlog of at least 8 garments to review and I'm only four away from 100, it's just a matter of finding time!
.jpg)
18 comments:
Great top!! Well done!
hurrah! I absolutely love yours, and I'm so glad the instructions were helpful and you're as happy with this pattern as I've been. I actualy made another version this weekend. Can't! Stop! Making! This! Top! :P
Really nice one.
This is very attractive on you. It has a great shape (or you do :)) I really like it. Now you have to make one in a solid color to show off the twist more
Brilliant! Great result.
I'm well impressed with people that use sewing magazines in languages not their own. Should you ever be completely lost on KnipMode descriptions: Please contact me, I'm Dutch and would be happy to help.
I'm very impressed with your language skills: German is a lot like Dutch, maybe that helps?
I reminds me of the Burdastyle Maddy top. When I just went to look at the Maddy top (to see if I remembered the name right) I saw that Melissa made that top too. It probably helped to have put together a similarly shaped top. So if anyone else is making this, they might want to download the Maddy instructions (free) to understand which pattern piece goes where (ignoring the diamond in the middle)
100 reviews?! Wow.
This is a great top indeed - the V-neck has good coverage and the gathering is 'forgiving' - isn't that what we all want?
Great top, it's on my to sew list too, but if I ever get to it?
Like Houkje I think German is very close to Dutch (more than to English). This pdf file might be helpful too http://www.box.net/shared/i6mk5j5tnu (translation from Dutch sewing vocabulary into English)
I love the print on this fabric. I tried to sew mesh once and got as far as the first seam. It's screwed up in a box somewhere in case I rediscover my patience one day.
It looks like a comfortable top to wear and I can see why you would want to make more. Of course, we don't get Knip Mode or Patrones in Australia and BWOF 9/2008 just appeared in the newsagents this week!
Geez, and to think I was impressed with my 35 reviews this year! 100?!
I love the print and it is definitely a good one for you. This top is on my maybe list, because I can't decide if it would look good on a larger bust. I was going to suggest Sigrid's Dutch vocabulary, but she already did. I found it very helpful when I made my Botega Veneta dress last summer.
What - 100 reviews? Just this year? congratulations! I am also impressed with all those languages! And nice top too.
I love the front knot. Definitely make more! I need some too while you are at it...
I bought this mag after seeing Melissa's versions and have made a couple up, the second using the front band thingy as a tie, threaded through, and the sleeves ending in a flared cuff. Next version will be a dress. I hardly ever make up other people's patterns, and can't recall ever having made one up more than once before, so you can tell I rate this. Looks great on you nicegirl;
Love it!!
Dear Slap :) if you have any future queries with KM, drop me a line with the scanned directions. I can translate them--and most of the time I have the issue lying around anyway. You really need a sewist to translate, because my Dutch DMIL couldn't translate a lot (and she sews, a little). I wouldn't mind getting BWOF directions in EN from your end sometimes, so I can compare if my NL version gives me the same idea, to work on my translating skills.
Great top - Congrats on reaching 100 reviews - Wow! - does that mean you have sewn 100+ new items this year!
Eek!
(if you have time, scroll down to the second top in this post).
If it isn't the same fabric, it is really, really close. And it's a twist top as well. Spooky.
Your top looks great!
Post a Comment