Help joining pieces - "Stacy" top from Cool Crochet by M Leapman
I have done this top in a different yarn (Classic Elite Flash: Lotus being discontinued, I think and there being no Classic Elite available in my area in Oz). It is a bamboo cotton mix - 8 - 12 ply but not twisted (plied?) AT ALL - split city! It splits very easily and if it snags goes totally crazy.
I tried doing a weaving (mattress stitch ?) join by the instructions in Stich N Bitch Happy Hooker... a) I don't think I got it quite right, b) the yarn kept snagging (it was joining a decreasing angled side to a decreasing angled side so the edges were both quite bumpy) and split and went crazy, so I had to pull it out and try again.
Next, I tried whipstitch. I had wrong sides facing me and whipstitched - my understanding being that would put the seam on the inside - however it seems more visible on the outside.
I am not sure what to do to join this, and I'd really like it to come out well (and soonish) - it is my first go at a garment for me (other than a shawl)...
Can you give me any tips?
I have that book. I wonder why she didn't give directions for a top down seamless sweater?
Here are some ideas to try -
Split that splitty yarn and sew up with 4 or 6 of the plies. That will give you less bulk in the seam.
or
Lay the two pieces of fabric side by side, right side up, and whip stitch. If taking a full dc or sc from each side is too bulky, try passing your needle through half a dc or sc stitch. Less bulk.
or
Lay the pieces side by side as above, and poke the needle down on one piece then lift it up through the middle of the seam gap and poke it down through the other piece. This is sort of like a whip stitch, but it prevents the fabric from overlapping. No bulk. It's a darning stitch for boat sails! I think it's called herring bone stitch or it's a simplified version of herring bone stitch. I used it on a knit seed stitch sweater I made for my dog and it turned out to be a reversible sweater with no obvious seams.
She has some finishing suggestions at the back of the book, p.126, if you missed them.
Ahem, yes, I was so focussed on the sleeve diagrams on p.126 that I mostly missed the stitching instructions... perhaps I did not go through back loops only on the whipstitch... that would make sense with my results...
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'll keep the herringbone idea in mind as well..
:') Marika
Thanks again, Pauline.
I have joined the pieces with whipstich through back loops only and achieved a decent result. I think part of the problem is that the edges are a bit knobbly and uneven which you can see at the edge.
Unfortunately, the top is a bit loose across the neckline/shoulders and a bit floppy in the back (my husband reckons if I projected in the back in the same manner as the front it would work fine :')).
*Sigh* Now I need to figure out how to fix those little problems (if I can...)
:')
Marika