Sometimes I get very specific design ideas in my head, and then just dive right in without doing a test garment! This workout top was an example of this approach, and in hindsight, I should have tried it before I cut into my precious Meryl activewear fabric.
Open backs is a huge trend in activewear right now, and I wanted to put my own spin on that design idea. It was however not an easy top to construct since the pieces drag in all kind of directions. I had to rip and re-stitch all the seams around the sleeve area to just get it to look decent, and ripping delicate soft knits is seldom a great idea, since it’s so easy to end up with a wobbly, stretched out and damaged fabric. All the struggles aside, I do love wearing the top and I can see myself making it again, but making a few changes, such as adding more drape and making the back panels slightly bigger.
The front looks just like a regular t-shirt, since I like the idea of making the back the full focus. The fabric was definitely tricky to work with though, very soft and stretchy, and for the first time, I got some coverstitch tunnelling on my Janome Coverpro that I couldn’t fix by changing the settings. Though I’m happy to report that after having a mechanic servicing and cleaning the machine, it seems like the problem is solved, though I think it was also due to the fabric being tricky.
But, whatevs, it works and I wear it the gym, so that is all that matters really. And next time I’m sure I can make it even better!
