Hola!

Yesterday saw my Hits and Misses and today we are onto Reflections and my own little variation "Plans".

Reflections:

This year saw some big changes for me - picking up sticks (the knitting kind), renaming and re-styling my blog, and finding my obsession joy in crafting again. Here is what I learnt this year.

1. Rowing my own boat:

I have never really jumped on bandwagons. I have worked to try to remain true to my style (for momentary lapses of reason see my Misses) and in a way simply row my own boat. I feel like it'd be really easy to jump on every new pattern release, be it Big 4 or indie, and just go a bit cray cray. But truly, I have not seen any this year that are truly my style or that I didn't already have a similar version of. I have adored following other fantastic bloggers and their interpretations of these, but still they are for the most part, just not me.

2014 will see me keep on with trying to stick with my style (don't ask me to name it), and if the right pattern comes up, purchase I will.

2. I'm a 70's kind of girl

I am constantly drawn to the 70's silhouette, especially dresses and skirts of the a-line variety with clean, long, lean lines. They simply suit my body type. And I am OK with that. I love expanding my ridiculously growing stash of pre-loved 70's patterns and have been so fortunate to be thought of when Mums and Grandmothers are clearing out. Anyone wanting to offload unloved 70's patterns? I'm your girl.

On this note: Jillian, you are not so suited to the sometimes billowy, flouncy, ruffled 70's monstrosities. DO. NOT. GO. THERE!

3. Fitting? Meh, not so much

I am destined to sew sacks/garments with minimal tailoring. I truly am the worst kind of student. My motivation wanes at the first hint of effort. I do want to learn tailoring and fitting techniques, but I just gotta find the time. I really don't have oodles of spare time to devote to my crafts as it is and then taking additional time to learn stuff seems like an investment I can't afford... yet I know I will create get better garments as a result.

Right, Jillian, it's time to finish, and apply, that dastardly Adjust the Bust course.

4. I. ADORE. KNITTING.

I really, really do. I have busy hands and I find myself drawn more and more to the gentle art of knitting to satisfy my restless hands syndrome. It really does fit my sensibilities and my tagline summer sewing and winter knitting simply feels like a good fit (see what I did there? Fit? Never mind). I find winter sewing to be of the too challenging persuasion (see 3 above) and this results in radio silence for my blog and frustration for this here crafter. I've found my niche.

5. Planning... hmmm

Planning and lists and promises all seem like a good idea at the time, but leave me with a sense of guilt and anxiety as I get tempted in other unplanned directions. I love reading others plans and so thought perhaps it was time to make my own. But truly friends, I prefer a more organic approach. I plan on no or little planning in the future.

Plans

1. No Plans

I plan to give myself a break and make few plans. This does not mean crafting will grind to a directionless halt, in fact it will free me to just get on with whatever takes my heart's fancy. And that feels good.

I do already have yarn and patterns for my next winter knitting projects! I've never wished summer away in my life, but yeeha, bring on knitting weather!

In the meantime, I plan on lots more gorgeous sewing projects.


And to finish up, here's to a brilliant New Year, full of happiness, peace and love for you all. Oh and the deliciousness of new projects and the freedom to create... that'll do me. How about you?

I'm off to do a bit more of this...

...before real life (otherwise known as back to work) sets in.

Top 5 of 2013: Hits and Misses

I've decided to join the hoards (hosted by Gillian) and take a moment to reflect on the year of stitching and knitting that was...

This year has been a real revelation for me in regards to crafting and blogging. I started the year rather shakily, and I wondered if my crafting and blogging mojo would ever return. But return it did and in the most surprising way. It started with Amanda of Bimble and Pimble blogging about her first forays into knitting and her post of her version of Andi Satterlund's Mathilde Hat. Quite simply, I found the inspiration I needed to re-establish my mojo in a new direction (knitting) and find my place again creatively. I might have worked considerably on myself as well, but that's a whole other story that don't need telling.

This all culminated in a new love for knitting and an all shiny and new, re-named re-vamped blog! Yay me!

So without further ado, here are my hits and misses all in one post (Reflections and Plans to come tomorrow).

Top 5 Hits of 2013:

In no particular order...

1. "Two Fruits" Dress:

I simply love this dress. It's the best fit I've ever achieved! I love the style, the fabric, the buttons. It's just all good.

I feel a million bucks when I wear it, but, and this is gonna seem weird based on the above... I rarely wear this! I think it's partly to do with Gabrielle's recent observation that the things she truly adores get worn less. This resonates with me! I think it's a morbid fear of ruining it. But it's still a big win for me!

2. Gingham Negroni:

Ok, this one was a HUGE achievement for me and adored by P. This was a me-made birthday gift for my handsome hubby. It was the first item of mens clothing I'd ever made, and P decided to subject me to gingham. Pattern matching anyone? I am so very proud of this one and it gets worn lots.

And A Very Merry Christmas To All

From my family to yours, may your Christmas be full of love, laughter and the preciousness of family and friends. May you all find peace and the meaning of Christmas in your own way.

Blogging has been a revelation this year and I wanted to thank you all for your supportive comments and feedback.

In the spirit of the festive season I'll be taking a few days off to immerse myself in family time. See you on the flipside!

SEWN: "TWO FRUITS" DRESS

I think this will go down in history as my "fruit period". I never thought I had a thing for fruit fabrics until I had made both this and my "Feeling Fruity" dress. And in fact, this one came first, made exactly a year ago. A year! I was very remiss in blogging this, one of my most favourite makes.

This is my version of vintage Simplicity 6926, View 2 (dated 1977).

KNIT: WORK + SHELTER LACE TEE

Clearly the crisis has been averted! Dropped stitches were saved and knitting continued.

Meh... That's how I feel about this knit...

Knitting is one of those things. It takes so damn long compared to sewing. 

So... Damn... Long...

And I love the process immensely, most of the time. But it's a lot harder to accept "Meh" at the end of a project that takes the best part of a month. In sewing, most of my projects are done in a week or less. In those cases, I strike "meh"s up to experience. Getting something knit in an acceptable timeframe takes all my energy and spare time. There ain't no second project on the go, it takes all of me.

I like it alright. It's not spectacular and I knew that about it when I started. It's a basic knit tee. I just feel like I probably could have bought something similar and saved my time and energy for something with more vavavoom. It will certainly be worn, I'm just not that excited about it.

Pattern: Work + Shelter Lace Striped Tee (Ravelry link). Knit in Rico Design Essentials 365 Aran (60% cotton, 40% acrylic). I really like the yarn. It feels wonderfully cottony and soft, but I think it's gonna grow like crazy with wear, just like a pure cotton yarn. I knit the smallest size, a 36 bust.

Alterations/Changes: 

• I knit an additional lace and stockinette stripe in the body for length, as the original sweater is quite cropped. In the end, it's slightly longer than I'd have preferred. But I like the proportions when I look at these photos, so that's a result!
• I changed the neckline as I'd seen a few others do. I started the neck rib when I had 16 stitches left on each sleeve instead of 12 and only knit 6 rounds (about 1 inch) instead of the pattern's 2 inches. I adore the wider boatneck as a result. I am not much of a one for high necklines, especially on summer pieces.

Lessons Learned:

• I think I do prefer knitting top down in the round rather than bottom up like this one. I like being able to physically try it on as I go. That means better capacity to check the fit as you go, especially length.
• Jillian, don't persist in knitting when starting a new medication that makes you feel like you've been hit by a semi-trailer truck. It will end in tears, frustration and error after error.

I promise this will be the last green yarn for a while! In fact I am back to summer sewing after this. I have such a backlog of projects that were waiting on this being finished. I really do have to try to stick to my tagline of winter knitting and summer sewing.

We must, we must, we must adjust the bust!

You might remember I made some Sewing Promises at the beginning of Spring (Southern Hemisphere). One of those was to learn how to perform a bust adjustment - in my case a small bust adjustment (SBA). Yes, I've admitted it out loud: I have a teeny, tiny bust. Some would say non-existent and gotten worse post-breastfeeding. Ughhhh.

It is time to learn to Adjust the Bust!!

I decided to start with Grainline's Tiny Pocket Tank (sans pocket, 'cause that's how I roll).

Do not adjust your screens, this print does warp your vision

I got this great nautical cotton voile in an interesting geometric print that I only realised was flowers when I pre-washed and hung out the fabric. Check it...

I got super lucky and found this on the clearance table for $4.20 p/m. Steel! Cheap as it was I really like it, so I'd like to get the fit of this tank right. I have a habit of obsessively checking out other people's versions when I choose a new pattern to make up. I like to know if there are any consistent fitting issues. 

The one thing that stood out over and over with this one is the potentially poor fit of the upper/high bust and armscye. The versions I found lamented the strange pull lines above the bust and the crowding of the armpit. There is not much fitting to this tank, it's loosely fitted with a bust dart. Seemed like a nice place to start looking to adjust.

So here's where it gets interesting. I've only completed Lesson 1 of the Craftsy Adjust the Bust course, so I've a ways to go 'til I really know what the hell I'm talking about. I've heard in the past though that it's best to choose a pattern size where the bust measurement corresponds to your high bust measurement: it is harder to fit shoulders, upper bust, arms and neck so this is a good way to get that right and then adjust the bust to fit (if needed). The lovely Sunni of A Fashionable Stitch recently blogged about this. The lovely Kathleen Cheetham, presenter of Adjust the Bust, however, suggests picking a pattern size based on a bust measurement of 2 inches larger than your high bust.

Sounds funky, right? Well it does to me when my full bust is only one inch larger than my high bust (I told you, small bust!). This just makes me feel like the thing is gonna be hanging off me around the shoulders and upper chest! I am super keen to continue on with the course to find out what the hell she is thinking!

But it's interesting because I wonder, if her formula had been used, would so many people have had those weird upper chest/armscye fitting issues? Would having a bit more ease according to Kathleen's sizing choice have sorted that?

So what about you, how do you all choose your pattern size for a top? Full bust? High bust? Some other funky algebraically generated formula? Please do share...

P.S. I know you're all waiting with baited breath. Yes, I did fix that crisis with my knitted lace stripe tee. In fact, she's finished! Blog post coming soon...

SEWN: "TINY TOWN" SHIRT

Vintage McCall's 9507, View A (sort of), dated 1968.

AKA Jillian makes another Pirate shirt.

Oh alright, it's not quite that bad, but it's not my most favourite make either. 

It does have poofy sleeves, ridiculously wide cuffs and ruffled neckline. It's pretty damning evidence of a pirate shirt.

I do worry it makes me look like a Pierrot-inspired pirate clown.

I sewed a straight Size 12 with no modifications to the sizing. I did, however, eliminate the ruffled patch pockets (they were absolutely huge!) and the ruffle at cuff. I mean really people, there is only so much ruffle one person can wear!

These are some seriously wide cuffs! I decided to add some interest by using cream thread for the buttonholes and navy/royal blue for the button thread. I like that it picks up the blue in the print, which you almost miss.

The best part about this shirt is without doubt the gorgeous fabric. It's a 100% cotton Japanese lawn that had been sitting patiently in my stash awaiting the perfect shirt. This wasn't it though...

And the print! Teeny, tiny little houses. What's not to love about that?

Meh, you win some. you lose some...

Unravelled indeed!

And this, my lovelies, is my unravelling. Bugger.

AKA I have totally dropped and unravelled some stitches!

My reaction: AGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

Can I please confess to just dumping my knitting when this happened a few days ago? I simply went into a blind panic. Somehow I haven't dropped a stitch before. But in my panic I actually dropped the stitch/stitches over a few rows. I know repairing it has something to do with crochet hooks and the like, but can someone point me in the direction of a good tutorial? I'd be eternally grateful!

P.S. Yes, it's starting to look like I only knit with green yarn, but I swear it's not the case. I'm just a bit obsessed with green at the moment. I'm sure it'll pass...

KNIT: EMERALD COWL

My emerald green Noble Cowl (Ravelry link) by Emily Kausalik, knit in Ella Rae Bamboo Silk (70/30). Soft, silky and deliciously drapey.

I actually finished this back in August, but just never got a chance to photograph it. Today however is a wet, unseasonably cold Sunday and seemed the perfect time to get this gorgeous piece out again.  

I love the open lacework and the slouchy feel. It makes for the perfect mild weather accessory, offering a little warmth, a whole lot of style and punchy colour.

I usually wear this with my bird brooch gifted to me by some wonderful work colleagues.

SEWN: "DANDELION DRIFT"

You could make many wishes on the dandelions in my top.

Style A, Pattern 1, French Sleeve Tie Back Tunic, from Japanese pattern book (English translation) Sweet Dress Book: 23 Stylish Outfits from Six Simple Patterns by Yoshiko Tsukiori. Fittingly made up in a 100% cotton Japanese lawn. Pretty, light, breezy...

This top represented a few more firsts for me. Yay!

Number one, first time using a Japanese pattern book. I've always loved the styles in these books but struggled to envisage how they'd work on my body. I'm slim but also taller (167cm) than the average Japanese woman (160cm) for whom the patterns are drafted, and the general sack-like look does little to flatter me. But this top, the front cover design, caught my eye straight away and I love it! It's very me.

SEWN: FLUTTER, FLUTTER BUTTERFLY...

...flutter way off to the sky...

This is my version of vintage Simplicity 7155 (dated 1976). This is actually a pattern for a toddler's long "jumper" or top, and I believe is really made for layering over a t-shirt or blouse (as pictured).

Why? Because the size 3 is really large on my 3.5 year old, especially in the arm scythes, and as a result through the chest area. It is a tieback dress which cinches out some of the fullness, but it still looks way too big... Is this just another one of those damn "ease" issues? Enough of excessive ease Big 4's!

But apparently it's perfect for twirling!!!

Self-styled with pink tights

Casting on

A gorgeous bunch lot of deliciousness finally landed on my proverbial doorstep this week. Finally! All the way from the UK! Could it be any slower?!

And then I just had to get right into it and start swatching...

... so I can get started on my WORK + SHELTER Lace Striped Tee, by Allyson Dykhuizen. 

Allyson's friend, Theresa VanderMeer, runs an organization called The Lotus Odyssey that exports fair-trade products from different eco/people-friendly groups in India. Theresa has started a foundation called WORK+SHELTER "that creates safe spaces across India where women in need can come to live and work. W+S encourages self-reliance amongst its female stakeholders while promoting hands-on training and capacity building. At W+S women are taught to use the skills they have or develop new ones, and contribute to the success of the organization by effectively filling their role within the larger production process. Apparel and accessories produced by the women are then sold to overseas markets" (text directly from www.workandshelter.org).

Allyson was asked to design garments and accessories that will be hand knit by the women living and working at WORK+SHELTER. The sweaters in this pattern are two of those items. If you click on the pattern link above you can grab your copy if you feel so inclined...

I like it... and so I cast on.

SEWN: UP, UP AND AWAY...

... in my beautiful, my beautiful, balloooooooooooon!

Otherwise known as vintage Simplicity 7395, Short Skirt (dated 1976).

Go on, admit it! You know you want a hot air balloon skirt for yourself now don't you? Or would you prefer that sassy red number with the chook embroidered on the pocket? Huh, huh? Damn if that transfer for said chook was missing, presumed used by an earlier style savvy sewer.

Short interlude: I believe I am the luckiest girl in the world. For many reasons, but not least of which is that I tend to be gifted the most amazing bagfuls of vintage 1970s patterns you've ever seen. Past and present workmates and gorgeous friends have delighted in my makes for ages and know my addiction obsession passion for 1970s patterns knows no bounds. They just work for my shape and I am a lover of simple crisp lines for my body type.

New Toys!

After reading a post by the lovely Tasia of Sewaholic regarding tips for using rotary cutters, I decided to finally take the plunge and invest in a cutting mat and rotary cutter. Can I just say this was a bloody miracle?

Did anyone else read the comments on that post with stories of gruesome amputations (well near, but that wouldn't sound so exciting would it?) and severed nerves (that one did actually happen)? How did that become a selling point? Perhaps I'm just a little weird.

I don't have any problems with using scissors to cut my fabric. I do, however, have major problems with kneeling on the floor and not being able to stand back upright following said pattern cutting. I am not what would be considered "old" (not sure about thresholds for using that term), but lord do my knees and back have something to say about that.

I started cutting on the dining table (AKA my sewing space), but have had a few occasions when I thought a cutting mat would be useful.

So with my very lovely 40% off voucher for Spotlight I decided to treat myself.

I ended up with the Birch Craft double-sided cutting board, 60 x 90cm, which after discount could be considered quite reasonably priced. This seems the largest size readily available in fabric stores in my area and it is pretty much perfect. Most fabric I work with is 110cm wide, so with fabric folded in half the board's 60cm width happily accommodates. Most of what I'd cut is longer than 90cm, but you can easily slide the board up under the fabric when a move is required.

I also settled on this board as it has both metric and imperial rules on the sides, whereas a few others were only imperial.

This particular Fiskars rotary cutter attracted me for a few reasons. The grip is very ergonomic and I felt that it would prevent the infamous Oops my fingers lid down the shaft and I sliced off my index finger scenario of those with a simple long handle. The titanium blades were another selling point given they are purportedly harder and stay sharper for longer. With the price of replacement blades that's got to be a good thing...

And is that a pretty project on the go below?

Why yes! And I can report that the rotary cutter and board are working just perfectly.

Anyone else a died in the wool fan of the rotary cutter and cutting mat, or would you be a shears person all the way to the grave?

SEWN + TUTORIAL: I'm truly biased about this Darling Dora dress!

Ok, this post has been a lonnnnnnngggggg time in the making, sitting patiently in the background waiting to shine. This is also my very first tutorial so be nice... I actually didn't approach this project with a tutorial in mind, simply decided along the way, so I'm hoping it all makes sense.

Don't you know a little one that just needs one of these ruffle front dresses? If so, read on.

Step 1:
Find a dress pattern: First you need a pattern for an a-line dress or even a jumper/pinafore. Depending on the age of your child I can highly recommend the FREE Toddler Swing Top pattern by Kelli of True Bias (hence the pun in the post title), which I used for this dress. A disclaimer before you get too excited: this pattern is in size 2T only, so if your little munchkin is another size you'll need to look elsewhere. Or if you're clever you might be able to grade this one up or down. My little one was nearly three and I made some pretty simple changes to get it to fit.

Now this pattern is for a top, so in order to make it dress length I simply measured a few of M's RTW dresses for length and extended the pattern accordingly. I added about 8 inches to the length following along and extending the a-line of the pattern. I also added about 1cm to the top of each shoulder seam as I found the armhole a bit snug when I made M the top at an earlier pre-blogging time. I find M grows up but not out, so often in a forgiving pattern you'll just have to fiddle with length and armscye depth a bit.

I wanted a decorative hem (no turn up), so I cut it 1.5cm longer than the actual desired finished length. If you want to hem your dress with a turn up, you'll need to account for this when deciding on dress length.

Step 2:
Choose an absolutely adorable fabric for your dress. M is a bit of a Dora fan so when I saw this fabric on sale for $5 per metre I snapped it up. It's a bit of a weird fabric, certainly cotton, but more of an uncoated decor/ curtain weight.

Step 3:
Prep the pattern and fabric and cut out the pieces. You'll also need to cut some bias strips 2 inches wide and at least 2 times the length of the dress front. You can join a few bias strips together to create the length you need. (I'm not going to walk you through this, but a good tutorial can be found here).

Step 4:
Mark the centre front line of the dress. The dress front is cut on the fold, so I simply kept the piece folded and pressed it lightly along this fold to give me a visual to work with.

Then open out the piece and on the RIGHT SIDE use tailors chalk (or a washable ink pen, or really anything as it'll be covered by the frill forever more) and a rule to mark the centre line on the fabric, from neckline to hem.

SEWN: "FEELING FRUITY" DRESS

Simplicity 2180, View D without sleeves.

This was my first time working with a modern Big 4 pattern in a very long time. Also made during my period of extreme "fuggness" (I do like making words up), and consequently it nearly ended up in the UFO pile.

AKA: The Dress That Nearly Broke Me and in the end I had to relinquish my anally retentive tendencies and just give in to a gloriously imperfect make.

Or it could even be known as The Dress That Drove Me To Finally Learn Pattern Redrafting/Adjustment.

Thrifty Business

I hit the local Salvo's store recently (that's "thrift store" to non-Australians). I cannot believe the stuff others find when thrifting 'cause let me tell you I find nothing but crap. I don't know if you have to live in or visit affluent areas, where thrift stores become a mecca of cast off designer labels, awesome haberdashery and general amazingness... let's just say none of those applied to my trip.

Mine tends to be filled with trash, not treasure and awesomely hideous 80's/90's sewing patterns.

Check out my haul!

I tried to look at those awesomely hideous patterns with fresh eyes today. I occasionally see a fellow blogger blog a recent make. I'm drooling over it's loveliness and then.... they show the pattern it came from and I think, Huh?? I have to admit to not having too much vision sometimes. I often fail to see the possibilities past the photos/illustrations on the pattern envelope. And that's to my detriment. The proof is in the pudding and not the pattern envelope it would seem.

Here's what I walked away with...

Let's start with New Look 6225, dated 1994.

Ahhh yes, the 90's. I actually had a pair of pants very much like these and lurrrrved them. I think they'll make for a great basis for a modern wide-legged pant. Not sure about the high waist, though I loved mine at the time. Not so much the dress.... and the, um, bra top thingy... moving right along.

And now Butterick 6213, dated 1992.

Love me a pair of culottes! Go on, look, both those images to the right of the envelope. And a culotte playsuit? Woot, woot! I have to admit to not even noticing they were culottes when I picked up the pattern. I just really like the View A sundress and know I can make a great summer dress out of this... and maybe a playsuit... or two. And I'm yet to sew a sweetheart neckline and we all need a sweetheart, don't we?

Boring Burda 7659, undated.

This looks a pretty modern pattern, but it's hard to tell. Take a close look at View A and C in the little line drawings at the top. I like the shape of these and with the right fabric I think they'll work. I like a loose-ish top with all my skinny jeans, might just lop off some length. I love how the previous owner had made notes all over the envelope... "Looks good from front, really bad from side!". I'll take that as fair warning.

Next up, See & Sew by Butterick 3192, undated, but I'm thinking it looks 70's maybe 80's. Any idea out there?

It doesn't bode well though when your hubby says, You're not seriously going to make that are you? Vision P, vision! I'm not gonna layer it with the shirt/t-shirt, I see this as a great beach cover up in a slightly shorter length and light fabric. Only problem is the size range, from 12-16. I'm more of a 10, but I'm sure I can sort it out.

And finally, the pièce de résistance. Kwik Sew 669, undated, but come on! It just screams 70's.

Oh the dramatic poses, the windswept hair! Don't you just crave your own jumpsuit right about now? This one was a "just because". How could you not? It makes me smile.

At 50c a pop I reckon they were worth it.

Oh, and two pieces of knit fabric. About 1m of blue ribbing ($1) and just over 1m of yellow t-shirt type fabric - a mid-weight polycotton jersey ($3). Bargain! It will give me something to practice my newly acquired knit fabric sewing skills on.

Perhaps not the most mouth-watering collection, but I definitely see some cake, if not frosting, amongst them.

Do you have an experience of making an awesome garment from a pattern that you might have walked past based on the hideous pattern envelope styling or illustration? Do share!!

SEWN: MY NEW FAVE TOP?

Summer Sewing Promise No. 1 - DONE! Tessuti's Our Fave Top.

Stripes seem to confuse my camera. Couldn't get this to focus properly for love nor money!

This was a top of firsts: first time sewing with knits, first time using the differential feed on my overlocker/serger, first time using my twin needle on my regular machine.

Phew, that was a lot of firsts.

I was really hesitant going into this. I bought the fabric over a year ago, prepped it for cutting and sewing and then abandoned it. All I could hear in my head was What were you thinking?

This fabric, my lovely readers, is a bitch the most ridiculously slinky, stretchy, unstable knit I think I could have chosen. I'm sure you will all tell me it isn't so, but I don't give a toss. It's a viscose/elastane, which feels lovely to touch and wear and I love the drape, but holy crap! Even laying it out to cut... I was rapidly losing patience. But I eventually pinned it into submission and the rest, as they say, is history.

Before construction I made sure to test, and test, and then test again. A bit of fiddling and the differential feed on my serger worked like a charm. No gathering or awful seam puckering to be seen. I used a three-thread overlock stitch, though I'd normally use a four thread for construction seams. It just seemed to handle my fabric better using that stitch, so lets hope it holds and I don't live to regret it.

My regular machine, my lovely Janome DC2101LE, handled the hemming and neckline just beautifully. I didn't need to fiddle with thread tension or feed dogs or anything. I whacked in the double needle (I used a Klasse Twin Stretch needle, Size 75, 2.5mm) and off I went. I was really careful not to push or pull the fabric through, just let it feed naturally into the machine. That's the thing with this fabric - it's quite heavy and I had to ensure I supported it's full weight at all times during sewing or I know I'd have ended up with wavy, stretched out hems.

But check out the results! Lovely.

Lets ignore that stray thread there on the left...

Changes/additions to the pattern? 
I used cotton/twill tape to stabilise the shoulder seams from neckline to about 8 inches down the seam. It worked a treat - simply fed it through on top of the seam as it went through the overlocker. This fabric really needs some help to not stretch out whilst being worn. I also took 2 inches off the length and my seams were also 5/8 inch, as I couldn't find directions about seam allowances until I had nearly finished the top.

Will I make it again?
Not sure, it's fairly distinctive so maybe not. If I did I'd remove some width from the neckline. It's very wide and P even asked if it was "one of those sexy off-the-shoulder numbers?" Um... no

If there is anyone out there who hasn't yet attempted knits, I'd recommend the pattern. It's a very forgiving garment, with little to no fitting to be done and any mistakes like uneven hem stitching, just disappears into its awesome voluminousness (did I just make that word up?).

My new fave top? I like it, I know I'll wear it as part of my jeans and top uniform. That will do for me...