Some people prefer florals, some prefer stripes. (They’re both great too!) But for me, it’s all about plaid. I have sewed soooo much plaid. Plaid dressing gown, hooded blouse, tie-front topper, even a Pendleton-inspired coat. This is not even close to all of it!

But if you’re sewing a button up shirt, a button back top, or a shirtwaist dress, you may be surprised at how easy it can be to match the plaid across the opening! The best part about the technique in my video tutorial is that it can be used no matter why type of plaid you have.

You may have heard about balanced plaid and unbalanced plaid, or even and uneven plaid… it actually doesn’t matter with this particular method! There’s no advanced knowledge of plaid required.

So if you’ve been putting off that button up shirt because you weren’t sure how to tackle the plaid across the front, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Watch my video and learn how easy it can be.

And if you’re interested in print matching in general, check out my other tutorial on how to print match across a seam!

The post How to match plaid across a buttoned opening appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.

I’ve adored classic two-tone sleeveless tops from 1940s and 1950s patterns for ages! Particularly ones where there’s a featured chart cutting across the upper body, and transitioning between two colors.

This winter I had a sudden urge to design one. And I mean sudden. We’re talking drop everything (including another design that’s been temporarily sidelined as a result), and get down to business working on this new idea.

It was one of my fastest (if not THE fastest) designs, from raw concept to design to finished sample!

And the result is the Countertone Top. Something you can throw on with high-waisted jeans or capris, or a skirt, and feel a little extra polished no matter what.

It’s a sleeveless, seamless pullover where the color does most of the talking. Since it’s knit top down, you can try it on as you go, to get the perfect fit for your body! And the detailed pattern has customization tips like changing the desired ease and body length, too.

The Countertone Top was designed for fingering weight yarn. Any smooth fingering weight with good stitch definition will work beautifully! Your color pairing is really where you get to make it your own. Go high-contrast for something bold and graphic (my personal fav!), or keep it tonal for something a little more subtle.

I knit my aqua and blue sample in Wollmeise Pure (574yds / 525m per 150g skein, 100% Superwash Merino), and the stitch definition is just perfect for showing off the chevron chart.

I knit my pink and neon red sample in Fiber MacGuyver Merino Twist (400yds / 365m per 100g skein, 80% Superwash Merino / 20% Nylon) for a real punch of summer color. I bought this yarn at A Woolen Affair last year, before Rhinebeck!

Countertone is size inclusive and written in 11 sizes, from 30.25 to 63.5″ / 77 to 161.5cm finished bust, and is designed to be worn with approximately 3″ / 7.5cm negative ease to 1″ / 2.5cm positive ease. The sample shown is worked in size 33.75″ with about 1.5″ / 4cm of negative ease on me.

See the full schematic file for all garment measurements, before you buy!

For lots more information on fit and sizing, please see the pattern page on Ravelry or Payhip.

And check out the project pages on Ravelry to see more great examples from my Countertone test knitters!

How to buy the knitting pattern

If you’re on Ravelry, you can visit the Countertone top pattern page to purchase it, favorite it, and add it to your Ravelry queue.

You can also buy the pattern directly from Ravelry, even if you’re not a member.

And you can also buy the pattern on Payhip.

Interested in one of my other patterns? Visit my design page on Ravelry or my Payhip page for all my published patterns! And check out the knitting pattern category in my archives.

Want to see more? Check out the #CountertoneTop hashtag on Instagram.

Want to hear more from me? Sign up for my mailing list, for updates on future knitting patterns, subscriber coupons, test knits, and more. And find me on YouTube!

The post Countertone Top: perfect vintage knit for warm weather! appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.

Vintage patterns in particular were drafted for the undergarments of the time, and while I typically wear vintage-inspired bras, even that is not enough to escape needing to lower bust darts. Quite a bit, in fact. Typically, I need to lower them 1 1/2″ or so.

So what happens if you sew something and the bust darts are too high? You might notice one of the following signs:

• some bagginess of fabric above the fullest part of your bust
• the bust dart points sticking out and/or pointing more towards your armpit than your bust
• a tighter or weird fit across the bust

This is definitely more noticeable on a fitted top than a looser one.

In my video, I show you two different ways to lower a bust dart. Plus, I walk through figuring out how much to lower the dart, because it’s not just a matter of guessing, and getting it right can make a real difference in how the finished garment fits. And for good measure, I briefly touch on raising darts too, for those of you who need to go the other direction. (Fun fact: I actually had to do that once for this pattern, since I needed to wear it with a different style bra!)

Want a quick written run-down of my favorite method? I’ll walk you through the way I do it with tracing paper below. It’s my go-to since it’s quick, easy, and ideal for preserving vintage sewing patterns, since there’s no cutting involved!

I also cover the more common box method, and I hope seeing them side-by-side will help you decide which one suits how you like to work best. (You know I love options!)

How to lower bust darts on a sewing pattern, with just tracing paper (no cutting!)

Trace your bodice front

Trace your bodice front onto tracing paper. You’ll trace everything except the side seam area around the bust dart. So most of the front, except an inch or two above and below the bust dart. I’ve drawn in red below what’s traced.

Mark your dart points

Draw a dot on your tracing paper at the apex (or end point) of your bust dart. If your pattern has a waistline dart, go ahead and mark the point of it too, since you’ll need to lower that as well.

Then, draw another dot directly below the point of the bust dart (and waistline dart if that applies for your pattern), the distance away you want to lower your bust dart. In my tutorial, I went with 1″ down. (And don’t forget, in the video I talk about how you figure out this distance!)

In the photo below, the red dots are the original end points of my bust and waistline dart, and the blue dots are 1″ down, where I’ll lower the darts to.

Slide the tracing paper up

Simply slide your tracing paper up until the lower dot aligns with the original dart apex on your pattern. Yep, it’s that easy!

As you do this, just make sure your center front line stays straight. You don’t want to accidentally rotate the piece.

Finish tracing and true the side seam

Now you need to fill in the part you didn’t trace earlier, so that’s the rest of the side seam and the dart. In the process, you may need to true your side seam a bit, since things won’t line up perfectly.

Once you’ve traced the rest of the side seam, trace in the bust dart markings. Don’t mark your side seam notch yet though!

Mark notch and lower waistline dart

Almost done! Now you need to slide your paper back down to the original location, until the armhole lines up with the original pattern again. Mark your side seam notch now.

Last step is just to finish off the waistline dart! Connect the new lowered apex of the waistline dart with your other dart leg markings, and finish tracing those too. It should be smoother than my version below, which was done quickly on camera. And if the top of the dart is too steep of an angle (mine below is approaching that) you can blend the legs in a bit more.

And that’s it! If you want to see both this method and the box method in action, plus how to figure out exactly how far to lower your dart, head over to YouTube and watch the full video.

The post How to lower bust darts on vintage sewing patterns appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.

This top was actually one of my very first design ideas, when I began diving into knitwear design again a few years ago (back when I released Legendaire). I had a little drawing of a zig zag sleeveless top and knew it would turn into something special, when I finally sat down to work on it. And I did actually start the design work and knit the first sample nearly 2 years ago, but for various reasons didn’t pull everything together until now.

And wow, I really am head over heels about how that stunning geometric design turned out!! Razzler is truly a FUN knit. It’s just a bit spicy setting up the charts in the setup round, but pretty easy going after that.

It’s an addictive project–you’ll keep wanting to see just a little more progress on your triangles! In fact, more than one of my test knitters have already knit or planned a second Razzler!

Razzler is a seamless top, with a 3-needle bind to join the shoulder seams. It was thoughtfully graded, with proportionate charts and chart placement. The modified drop shoulder was designed to create a similar-length cap sleeve across all sizes.

As always with my knitting patterns (see all of them here!), this is a size inclusive pattern, and is very clear and detailed.

Razzler makes for an ideal 3-season top in a cotton or plant-based yarn blend! Which is also great if wool isn’t your friend.

Try KnitPicks Comfy (75% Pima Cotton / 25% Acrylic), like my blue one in Celestial, or Cascade Cantata (70% Cotton, 30% Superwash Merino Wool), like my aqua one in Seafoam. (Yarn support provided by KnitPicks for Comfy. )

The Razzler top knitting pattern comes in 11 sizes ranging from 29.75 – 61” / 75.5 – 155cm. It was designed for 2” / 5cm of negative ease to 1” / 2.5cm of positive ease at full bust.

See the full schematic file for all garment measurements, before you buy!

For lots more information on fit and sizing, please see the pattern page on Ravelry or Payhip.

And check out the project pages on Ravelry to see more great examples from my Razzler test knitters!

How to buy the knitting pattern

If you’re on Ravelry, you can visit the Razzler top pattern page to purchase it, favorite it, and add it to your Ravelry queue.

You can also buy the pattern directly from Ravelry, even if you’re not a member.

And you can also buy the pattern on Payhip.

Interested in one of my other patterns? Visit my design page on Ravelry or my Payhip page for all my published patterns! And check out the knitting pattern category in my archives.

Want to see more? Check out the #RazzlerTop hashtag on Instagram.

Want to hear more from me? Sign up for my mailing list, for updates on future knitting patterns, subscriber coupons, test knits, and more. And find me on YouTube!

The post Razzler Top: NEW vintage-inspired knitting pattern! appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.

The most popular modern method that you’ll hear about online is typically called the burrito method. It uses a neat trick to encloses all your seam allowances for a clean finish. You know I love a little sewing trickery like this! In fact, I even have a separate tutorial for how to do an all-in-one facing with the burrito method.

It’s fun and relatively fast, but it’s definitely not a good choice if you’re using a more delicate fabric. It involves a good bit of tugging and pulling, particularly if your yoke is on the narrow side at the armhole edge.

So in my tutorial, I also cover how to sew a shirt yoke with a much more traditional method, with no fabric manhandling involved. It still stands the test of time as a lovely way to do it, too.

Both methods offer a great finish, without any hand stitching! In my latest video, I walk you through both methods step-by-step, including when and where to grade your seam allowances. You can follow along as I demonstrate both techniques on two different shirts, allowing you to see which way you like best for your particular project and fabric. Watch the video and find out!

The post How to sew a shirt yoke 2 ways (burrito and traditional/vintage) appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.

And don’t worry, you do it without taking the original garment apart.

You may actually recognize my favorite bolero from this blog! 10 years ago, I blogged about wanting to recreate it’s silhouette with knitting. While I never did finish that knitting project, 5 years later I was once again inspired to borrow the shape for a knit bolero, and that time I did finish the project, and knit my plaid bolero.

And that’s the very same vintage bolero I used to create my own sewing pattern! The method I used in my tutorial video is quite easy, and actually kind of fun! It doesn’t need anything fancy, just a pin, paper and a pencil.

It’s a perfect thing to try with an easier shaped garment, like this bolero with its simple lines. But it can be used for more complicated pieces if you’d like, too.

It’s a great way to make your own replica of a favorite piece. I’ve made 3, and would someday like to make one where I trim the front band with embroidery, just like my original red vintage one.

Unlock the secret to copying your beloved garments without taking them apart–watch my latest YouTube video to learn this surprisingly simple pattern-making technique!

The post Make your own sewing pattern: How I copied my favorite bolero appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.

Basically, you face your facing. Yes, it sounds a little strange, I know! But trust me, this simple trick will give your facings a beautiful finish, without any hemming required. How’s that possible? You interface and seam your facing, all at the same time.

This method works with both fusible and sew-in interfacing, so it’s perfect for almost any facing application: modern, vintage, or period-appropriate, if that’s your thing.

In the video, I walk you through the process step-by-step for both fusible and sew-in interfacing. And you’ll find out why I think it’s especially useful for tricky sew-in interfacings, like silk organza–my favorite interfacing for sheer and eyelet fabrics! Plus, it creates a super smooth, elegant edge with fusible, too.

Ready to seam and interface your facings in one technique? Watch the full tutorial on my YouTube channel.

I talk about facings a lot on my YouTube channel. A LOT a lot. This is actually my third video focusing on facings in one way or another!

In my latest video, I also mention my other facing-related tutorials, like the all-in-one facing for dresses with center back zippers and the burrito method for pull-on garments. The facing technique I’m sharing today works perfectly with those methods, too!

This simple trick will change the way you think about sewing facings, giving you more options. And I’m a big fan of having options in sewing! It’s a fun, easy, and surprisingly useful trick to have in your sewing arsenal. Watch the video and give it a try!

The post Level up your facings: interface & seam in one step! appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.

Understitching is a sewing technique that may sound intimidating if you’ve heard about it but never known what it was. Fear not, it’s actually really easy to master! And let me tell you, it makes a BIG difference in the finished result.

My latest YouTube video is your one-stop-shop for all about understitching: everything you need to know the technique, including what it is, why it matters, and how to do it.

All understitching really is, is a line of stitching sewn on the facing or lining side of a seam allowance. It helps prevent the facing or lining from rolling to the outside of the fabric and peeking out.

Unlike topstitching–which is visible on the right side of the garment–understitching is hidden on the inside. This makes it a great technique for achieving a clean, professional finish on anything from everyday dresses to fancy gowns! And in my video, I even show you how to do it by hand using a prick stitch, which is perfect for a couture or tailored finish.

Understitching is a simple yet powerful technique to help creates garments that look polished, both now and in the long run. Who doesn’t want to cut down on a bit of upkeep with the iron over time?!

Hop on over to YouTube to learn all about why this is one of my favorite sewing skills!

The post Understitching: a sewing secret weapon! appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.

Follow along in my latest YouTube video.

Never mind that I didn’t have the pattern. Would that stop me? Umm I’d say I have over a decade of blogging stories to prove it certainly would NOT. ?

So I found a similar pattern in my stash, Advance 9030 from the mid 1950s.

I’ve sewed the sleeveless View 2 before–the first version I blogged about several years ago, and most recently, I sewed another for the project in my all-in-one facing burrito tutorial. (Oops! Forgot to blog about that video, but do go watch it!)

With a few tweaks, I thought View 1 would be a good substitute to recreate the look of View C in the McCall’s pattern.

I’ve never done color blocking before, but I’ve been wanting to try color blocking something all year!

Perhaps ironically, the actual color blocking was the smoothest part of this project. Everything else plagued me! Puckered seams, thread choices, sheer fabric, bad drafting choices… was I even able to pull it all together in the end?! Well, you’ll just have to watch the video and see how it all turns out!

The post Color blocking a vintage sewing pattern (without the pattern) appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.

Head over to my latest YouTube video to watch the whole sewing adventure. I’m also celebrating that I just reached 10,000 subscribers on my channel, a HUGE milestone for me! ?

I had already sewed two different Hepburn tops a couple of years ago, though they never made it to the blog. One in black ponte knit, and one in cotton jersey, modified to have set-in sleeves: I borrowed the armholes and sleeves from the Jennifer Lauren Gable top. (Another favorite tried-and-true pattern, you can see my first one on the blog several years ago.)

The Hepburn top has SO many sleeve and neckline options, giving you tons of flexibility to create tops that perfectly fit your style. I adore band collars and standing collars, so that view is the big winner in my heart, and what I picked for my 3 versions this time, too.

Since we’re well into spring, I opted for short sleeved this time around. I managed to use up three cotton jersey fabrics from my stash, each of which were picked because they perfectly coordinated with at least one item in my closet. And because I already owned them. (Bonus points for using what I already have, right?!)

I’m not going to pretend there weren’t some bumps along the way from the literal get-go. Let’s just say there was a moment of panic when I realized I’d underestimated the yardage!

But don’t worry, video is packed with tips and tricks to help you navigate the Hepburn top. And hopefully you’ll do better than me, and avoid any fabric Tetris mishaps. ?

Check the video out on YouTube to follow along with me sewing these Hepburn tops!

The post Batch sewing 3 Charm Patterns Hepburn tops appeared first on Tasha Could Make That.