I’ve got a great new pattern update for you today! This Tie Front Top Pattern is a knit top sewing pattern for girls is now available in sizes 3 to 14. This cute DIY Dolman Top is designed to be sewn with knits and is a great sewing pattern for tweens and girls. (Free Dolman Sleeve sewing pattern)
I originally posted this Dolman Top Pattern a few years back, but only included size 5 and 7. It’s been on my to-do list to revise the pattern to include more sizes. It’s the perfect top for school-age girls and my lil missy just loves the one I made! Want to make one of these tops in a different size? Here is a tutorial on how to make a dolman sleeve pattern. (Looking for more free patterns? Be sure to check out my free patterns and tutorials page here.)
When I’m sewing for myself or my kids, I want the items I’ve made to look like and have the quality of something you would buy at a store or boutique. (An exclusively expensive boutique, of course… {wink, wink})
Especially with knitwear.
I totally nailed it with this little tie-front Dolman-style knit top!
I didn’t time myself while sewing the top, (I take multiple breaks when sewing) but not counting the time it took to create and cut out the pattern, I am guessing it took no more than an hour to make this top. Yep, it’s that easy!
If you want your knit projects to have a professional look, you’ve got to have the right tools: a walking foot and a ball-point stretch twin needle.
The walking foot (I use this one on my singer) and stretch twin needle (along with a loosened tension and lengthened stitch) will allow you to hem your knits without stretching out the hems and seams. If you need more information on sewing with knits, I have quite a few tips and tricks in my Tunic Top tutorial.
The one thing to note about this top is that hemming the ties can be a smidge tricky due to the extreme curves. The solution to that? This Dritz Washaway Wonder Tape. It’s amazing, just stick it to the edge of your pattern pieces and fold the hem into place and it is a dream to sew. Once you wash the top, the hem tape washes away. (In a pinch, you could use a tiny dot of washable glue, you just have to give it time to dry.
This was my original version, she looked so cute in this little outfit- totally trendy with the chevron print top and leggings. (I blogged about the leggings here). I was a tiny bit concerned about the leggings being too sheer, but I had her give them the “official Lululemon test” before wearing them to school. Luckily, they passed. You can size up to get the oversized look you see in the photo below.
When we were trying on the shirt to check for fit, my missy requested the little folded sleeve detail. To do that, I folded the sleeve hem up about 2 inches, hemmed, then used my iron to press the sleeve into the folded position. I then tacked the folded hem into place.
Are you ready to sew one of these tops for your little miss? Click here for the pattern or head over to page 2 for the sewing instructions.
New to sewing with knits? This pattern is fairly easy to sew, but the fabric ties can be a challenge for someone without a lot of experience sewing on knits. Patterns like this Tunic Top, Ruffled Skirt or Flat Front Ruffle skirt are a great option to get your feet wet on…
HERE ARE FEW HELPFUL TIPS FOR SEWING ON KNIT FABRICS:
- Always use a ballpoint needle. A ball point needle has a rounded tip and allows the needle to move in between the thread fibers instead of piercing the thread fibers. (Which will cause holes in the fabric.)
- When sewing seams that need to stretch, be sure to use either a narrow zig zag stitch- set at a medium stitch length or many newer machines have additional stretch stitches you can use. (Refer to your manual to find out which ones your machine does.)
- It helps to loosen the needle thread tension just a tiny bit. (experiment on scraps til you find what works best on your fabric.)
- For seams that don’t need to stretch (like side seams) a regular straight stitch is fine. To keep the fabric from stretching when you sew, you can try a slightly longer stitch length and loosening the needle thread tension just a tiny bit. ALWAYS do a few practice stitches on the fabric you will be using and then make any adjustments needed.
- If you are working on a fabric that keeps curling, use fabric starch and your iron to flatten out the fabric. This technique is helpful on all knits as the starch makes it less stretchy and moves through the machine smoother.
- For hemming on knits, you have a few choices: 1. Leave the edge raw. This looks fine on casual garments. 2. Add a bound edge. (You can see examples of how adding a bound hem works here and here.) 3. Use a walking foot and hem the edge with either a zig zag or other stretch stitch or using a twin needle. (The walking foot helps feed the material through the machine with less stretching.)
- Remember to try a slightly longer stitch length and to loosen the needle thread tension just a tiny bit!
- If your fabric is getting sucked into the machine or is still stretching, you can place a piece of thin tissue paper between the fabric and bottom feed dogs. After you are done sewing, you can gently tear the tissue paper away.
WHERE TO BUY KNIT FABRICS:
Knit fabric comes in so many different weights, content and stretch. It is important to use the right fabric for this project. I ’ve tried a few different fabrics and definitely have my favorites.
- For leggings you need to look for a knit fabric with at least 50% stretch and around 4% or more lycra/spandex for recovery. This particular top does not need that much stretch due to the ease built in. (But it does need some stretch – so don’t use quilting cotton.)
- I love the cotton lycra from Funkalicious fabrics most of her 3/8″ Cotton Lycra Stripe Knit Fabric is pretty great.
- Kaufman Laguna knit is also good, but a bit thinner that the cotton lycra from Funkalicious
- Riley Blake Cotton Jersey has great stretch and recovery, is a nice weight and has a ton of cute designs
- The BOLT line is slightly thinner, but has great stretch and recovery for leggings.
- The “Premium Dots and Stripes” from NR Fabrics on Etsy are amazing to work with!!!
- If you are looking for ribbed knit for binding, the Fabric Fairy has a lot of good quality ribbed knit choices.
- I am sure there are other great fabric lines of great quality to choose from, but I have not personally tried them.
Click here for the pattern or head over to page 2 for the sewing instructions.
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Elaine Johnson says
Love this pattern. Made it yesterday and also a basic T shirt from your patterns and added cap sleeves. Love your tip for bonding tape!! Just downloaded the leggings pattern. Thanks for reminding me how much fun knits are to sew!! My own tip: Bought a roll of “wedding aisle runner” thin and almost see through, and I trace each size (2 girls) on a separate sets of paper and fold/store them in labeled zipper type bags. Only have to print pattern once!!