Two Pretty in Peplum Tops

There's no denying it now - I am wholeheartedly on the knits bandwagon.  In fact, the last fabric order I placed had more knits than wovens!  So I was excited to have the opportunity to try Abby's Pretty in Peplum pattern for her pattern tour.

This is one of the best patterns I have ever sewn.  Her instructions are so thorough yet so concise.  How does one do that?!  It's an art and an accomplishment!

I love that her pattern has diagrams for each step.  I'm definitely a visual learner and can sometimes get bogged down by too many words.  Her pattern was perfect.  I was so impressed!

 

 I think this would be a fantastic pattern for someone new to knits, mostly because it doesn't have a neckband.  Personally, I found learning neckbands to take some practice.  It's kind of like driving a stick shift.   You need to find that sweet spot with the clutch in order to shift gears smoothly.  You'll likely stall out a few times before you find it.  But once you get it, you're golden.  You'll forevermore be able to drive a stick shift.  With neckbands there's a sweet spot, too.  I find you have to pull enough to get some tension but not too much to gather the shirt fabric.  Once you get the feel for it, it becomes second nature.

 

But that's all inconsequential for this post, because as I said - no neckband!  This top finishes with a facing and I really enjoyed that method!

Also, this fabric was a dream to work with!  It's Acorn Trail Peonies Blue by Birch.  Birch knits are my favorite.  They are so soft inside and so easy to sew.  They don't really curl and behave more like a woven, I think.

 

Indigo's peplum top sewed up in 45 minutes!

I cut the 3/4 length sleeve, but her arms are so long that the sleeve hit just below the elbow.   So I cut off a few inches so it would hit just above the elbow.  I really love this length.



For Tia's top I decided to experiment with a stretch lace overlay.

 

 The lace itself was easier to work with than I had expected. I did have to recut the bodice because I didn't line up my flower rows when I cut them the first time, so they were seriously askew.  

I basted the lace to the tangerine knit I used underneath.  This was from Robert Kaufman's Laguna line.  While the fabric itself is soft and has washed well (I used it here), it's not the easiest to work with.  Mostly because it curls...a lot.  It helps to press the heck out of it, but Birch knits are much easier to work with, in my opinion.

 I cut the lace overlay peplum in a size 7 length so it's an inch or two longer than the knit peplum.

Tia's top took longer to sew because with all of the basting, it was almost like sewing two tops instead of one.  But it was still a relatively quick sew.  I sewed both of these tops in one Sunday afternoon... with interruptions.

I used Wondertape for the lace hem and it worked amazingly well.  I loved that stuff!

 

The pattern suggests using knit interfacing and 1/4" clear elastic and I skipped it, keeping this super simple and I was so happy with the results.

Really, I can't recommend this pattern enough!

 

Thanks for having me, Abby!