Burda Style For people who sew
First successful knit top that I will actually wear.
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3038
Description
I’ve had an overlocker for yonks and a year ago I wheedled a super-duper coverstitch machine out of my fella on the proviso neither of us would ever purchase a t-shirt again, and I’d make and swan around in the kind of knit dresses he likes to see me in but that I seldom wear and um, yeah, that didn’t end up happening. The machine just sits there making me feel bad.
Until today!!!! This is my first properly finished knit top. I HAVE tried before but they ended up being wadders. I was REALLY careful this time. I did a lot of deep breathing and sipped many cups of tea to stay calm and not start sobbing and smashing things when it got difficult.
Now tell me, BurdaStylers, what is the secret to your success with indoor photos of your creations? I think they look more sophisticate. I could stand to look more sophisticated! I wanted a nice tasteful blank white background; unfortunately there’s only about six square feet of bare wall at my place. Where are people getting all their blank wall from?!?!?!?!!? I roped the reluctant fella into snapping. We tried to make it work, I was going for that very spare “Real Simple” magazine look they do for their fashion stories, or you know those sorts of quiet-looking close-ups and details like in Japanese sewing books, but instead every pic we took had the abject quality of Terry Richardson portraits or at best, that very stark feel of one of the less-exploitative but still slighty grubby-looking American Apparel product shots. So in the end we just hammed it up and went with it as you can see but any tips on how they could be better would be appreciated. Even the ones on the dressform look dodgy.
Oh ps coverstitch machines are cool, but if you get yourself a twin needle just for your normal sewing machine I think it would look just as good for the bit you sew around the neckline to keep the serged raw edge from flipping… and you can use it for the hem so it’s flexible too. I did a little video showing how right here:
http://www.burdastyle.com/howtos/show/1793
Material Notes
knit with two-way stretch
Categories
Credits
Simon for taking the photos.
17 Comments
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Jun 25, 2009, 05.18 AMby stephiaffi
It’s a lovely top! You should defintiely wear it. I haven’t had the guts to make anything from jersey yet…too sacred it will come out looking wonky…and I don’t have a serger either so that makes the whole process even scarier…yes, and the photoshoots…I never get it right myself and have decided only to shoot outdoors when it’s bright…my photos never turn out nice inside…so, sorry, but I hve no tips for you :)
May 8, 2009, 02.10 AMby ichigogirl
Okay, thanks for the tip, I MUST buy a twin-needle. At the moment I don’t finish the edges of my jersey-tops. Great sometimes but not always… As for picures, I think yours are great, but you might want to try ajusting the white-balance in your camera to a custom mode. Basically you point the camera to a white background to set it, and the pictures turn ut less yellow. If that’s what you’re after :-). And a tripod is a big help if you don’t like using a flash. And photoshop, esp for cropping images. I agree though, indoor pictures are haaard to get the way you like!
May 7, 2009, 03.48 AMby toril
The neckline you made is excellent!
Apr 20, 2009, 10.48 AMby carottesauvage
Yeah wear it, girl! Love your ‘rebel with a cause-grinding teeth’ smile. It is worth millions of the picts posted on burdastyle I am fed up taking pictures because I always shoot on self timer, takes ages. It is one of the reasons why I haven’t posted stuff for ages(lazyness, computer broken no more Photoshop to use-yes behind every beautiful photos you like it is pretty likely that photoshoping is involved in 95 per cent of cases). I forced myself this morning because lighting was good, and might borrow computer with photoshop soon. A tip for indoors (day time, when light is at its brightest), shoot next to a natural light source and put a white screen (made with white sheet, hooked from ceiling or however you can) so the light reflects on the side of your body that is kept in the shaddow. Don’t know if I explain it well but here is the schema you in between the light source and the white reflective sheet or screen. If screen/sheet panel flexible, slightly tilt it or move it depending on how you want the light to be reflected (on your face, garment etc..) It makes a difference.
Apr 10, 2009, 12.30 AMby akazukinchan
Nice job! Stylish yet useful. I agree with catplus your top looks better than the one on the pattern envelope. It’s difficult for me to envision how a project will turn out especially when you only have a sketch to work with.
Apr 9, 2009, 09.07 AMby catplus
Great shirt, cute pix, and hilarious commentary! It looks so much cuter on you than on the pattern envelope! Thanks for the recommendation about the twin needle. I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s so obvious! I totally agree with the American Apparel photo reference. I was just looking at their website and thinking how incredibly weird and exploitive their photos are!
Apr 8, 2009, 06.38 AMby verachuckndave
Cuteness! These sleeves (and fun poses) make me so happy! :) I understand about the photo taking thing…all I use is my blank wall crunched right next to my front door for simple pics and the crazy shower curtain for jazzed up ones. If you had some giant rolls of butcher paper, you could use that as a backdrop kinda like professional photographers do. I always wanted to get some and draw my own funny line-drawing backgrounds to stand people in front of. Thanks for your comment on my blue dress by the way!
Apr 5, 2009, 08.33 PMby heatherrique
Wow, Emily Kate! You look so sleek and chic! I used to ask my formerly eager photographer (my now 6 y.o. daughter Heather) to take pics of me…. But it helps when somebody my height or taller could do the snapping and not thinking I’m vain. Find a nicely lit area, get a camera with a timer (placing on something for support, such as a box, a stack of books, etc that will enable to take full or partial pic of you). Cheers ;-}
Apr 5, 2009, 05.39 PMby littlebutton
Its gorgeous – what a great pattern. I’ve always wondered if the coverstitch machines are worth having – they are so expensive I thought they must do an amazing job so thanks for making me feel like I’m not missing out on something that I absolutely ‘need’!
Apr 4, 2009, 03.57 PMby scrumptiousdelight
OOO forgot to say…don’t ever use the flash!
Apr 4, 2009, 03.55 PMby scrumptiousdelight
Great t-shirt! I love the scoop neckline and the little polka dots….as for the photos…photoshop or similar. I have the same problem with my toys..we live in a basement suite with minimal light and have a cheap and useless camera….much much frustration to try and get it right.Also the background color can seriously effect the color of the object of the photo I regularly have to end up using photos that I’m not happy with….grrrr!…t-shirt looks really good anyway!
Apr 4, 2009, 10.10 AMby djoule
Nice top !!! Looks really well done, bravo ! As for the photos, I try to “brigthen” them, change the color balance or apply some filters. I do this with a free program called Gimp : it’s just like photoshop, but free!
Apr 4, 2009, 10.02 AMby jemima
You’re right about the name, successful knit top! Lovely neckline and sleeves, plus: the photos are fun!
Apr 4, 2009, 07.18 AMby kosmika
Super nice top, it’s really cute and well sewn !!! I agree with you about photos, maybe i just need a bigger house since every wall of mine is covered with some kind of shelf :) … and please, tell me more about the twin needle for my regular sewing machine… mmm very interesting…
Apr 4, 2009, 07.08 AMby hannnc
Haha your pics with your teeth out remind me of my ‘photoshoot’ with my boyfriend as cameraman. I felt like a poser and just did faces exactly like that cause its weird.. And i too have no blank wall! Same problems, it’s funny. Nice top though!
Apr 4, 2009, 06.46 AMby sewella
Great top! And the texitle industry loses one of its consumers!! :)
Apr 4, 2009, 06.27 AMby atsgirl
EmilyKate you did a fantastic job – so professional and your pics are very cute (Ta Simon!) Thanks also for the advice on the coverstitch….i’ve been thinking about one for a while, but do already have a twin needle and very good machine and overlocker,so maybe I’ll hang out for a little longer!