I made a third Sewaholic Renfrew and, as the saying goes, the third time's a charm.

Materials:

• Bamboo knit
• Thread 
• Stay tape (yes! I actually got to use real stay tape for once!)

Pattern

Sewaholic Renfrew 

I used my same pattern and fit alterations from Renfrew 2 (ie. fixing the wrinkles above the bust, a swayback adjustment, and widening the sleeves). To make the fit even better, I sewed the side seams at 1/2" instead of 5/8". That did the trick and the top is super comfortable.


Alterations

I only did one other change in addition to the alterations mentioned above. Instead of using the cuffs, I lengthened the sleeves and did a hem using a twin needle. This gives it a cleaner look, since it would have been hard to get the stripes to look good where the sleeve and cuff meet.


I kept the bottom band, even though the striping is a little off for the same reason. I like how the band adds weight to the bottom and stops the shirt from possibly riding up.


The striped fabric gives a nice classy look. I love how the neckline turned out.

What I Learned

I definitely improved my serger skills. I used the serger to finish all of the major seams and even to apply my stay tape. However, I am still not confident enough to use it to piece together everything. I sew with my sewing machine first and then finish with the serger - less chance for major mistakes.

I also improved my overall skills with sewing knits. The quality of the fabric makes a huge difference. This fabric is very nice and so was a pleasure to sew.

The strips turned out really well, but could have been even better. They made it even more obvious that I could do with a walking foot for my sewing machine. Try as I might, the stripes would not stay lined up along the side seams and such.


Overall, I'm super happy with this top. I think this is going to get worn throughout the year at least once a week.