The Talia Twist Top
A Sewing Tutorial
I may have said this before, but I love to sew. My mom started teaching me when I was seven; I remember sitting down on the floor next to her sewing table with a button, needle and thread, and fabric—it was a scrap of green sateen. Since then I’ve sewn clothes, costumes, period dresses for events, and my wedding dress. Two years ago I learned to work with knit fabrics and started sewing for the kids. This year I embraced my pregnant/mom bod and started sewing for myself again.
In this post I’m going to give you a simple tutorial for my new most favorite sweater shrug. I’m using the Talia Twist Top from Rebecca Page Patterns, in a soft pink cotton spandex I got from Hobby Lobby. For complete instructions and fabric recommendations please refer to the actual pattern and the Rebecca Page sewing group on Facebook (they are lovely women and so helpful).
Most patterns will require you to cut two mirror images of at least one piece; the simplest way to do this is to fold the fabric with right sides together and cut out both pieces at the same time. The fabric I’m using is a solid four-way stretch, and if you don’t look too closely at the fabric grain it doesn’t matter which way you cut it. I do tend to look at the grain, and it bothers me if I cut it wrong, so I’m placing the pattern pieces along the grain. I put my pieces as close together as possible to save fabric (I was able to use the leftovers for all three girls), and I weigh the paper down with special rocks the kids gave me. You can pin the paper to your fabric, if that works easier for you.
The first thing that I do is attach the back neckband (I’ll have another post dedicated to neckbands, they can be intimidating sometimes) to the back and set that aside. I start by folding the neckband longways, and pinning the center of that to the center of the back piece with the right sides together. Then I pin the edges of the band to the shoulders. After that I gently stretch the back piece to the same length as the band and pin it together.
While sewing the neckband you want to gently stretch the fabric, like you did while pinning it. I have a very simple sewing machine and I construct all my knit clothes with a medium zig-zag stitch.
Once sewn in place I fold the neckband up and sew over it on the right side of the garment to top stitch it. Top stitching helps keep your bands from rolling and adds a more finished look to your garment. It’s not always necessary, I don’t do it for the kids clothes.
Set the back piece aside and start on the front piece. You sew the two long edges of the two pieces together.
Pull the front piece right side out. If you want, or if your fabric is stiff enough to need it, now you can press these edges. I only press dress clothes, so I didn’t do it this time.
Pin the shoulders of the front to the shoulders of the back, with the right sides together. This requires you to twist the front, which is the distinctive look for this shrug. Hold it up on yourself to see if you want it to twist to the left or the right and pin it accordingly. Make sure you line up the edge of the back neckband with the neckline seam edge on the front piece, otherwise your garment will have lopsided shoulders.
Sew across the shoulders.
The original pattern has you use the burrito roll method to sew the sides together so the side seams are hidden, and you would do that next. I don’t use the burrito roll, and the next thing I do is pin on the sleeves. I start with pinning the center of the sleeve to the shoulder seams, folding the seam towards the back. Then I pin the bottoms of the sleeves to the bottoms of the armscye (sleeve hole) on the bodice. From there I match and pin the sleeve to the armscye. On the Talia Twist Top these pieces are an exact match, and you shouldn’t have to do any stretching or gathering to make the sleeve fit. (If you’ve never sewn sleeves before don’t worry! The two pieces will come together and curve over your shoulders)
Sew the sleeve. (Again, if you’ve never done sleeves, don’t worry. You have to feed your fabric through following the curve of the shoulder. Breathe evenly and go slowly. Message a sewing group if you need help, we love to help.)
Once the sleeves are done pin the side seams and down the arms.
Line up the underarm seams when you pin it, otherwise your underarm seams will look like this. It’s not a big deal, no one really looks there. I left mine like this because I hate ripping seams out and sewing it again.
I did not forget about hemming. But what I love about knit fabric is that it doesn’t unravel. So if you don’t care too much about looking super finished and can cut a straight line, you don’t have to hem if you don’t want to. With eight kids I’m all about convenience, and it’s easier for me to cut straight than to hem.
And there is your finished Talia Twist Top. Back when Nick and I were dating I would tie a button down shirt under my bust, layered over a cami—this top allows me to recreate that look while still accommodating my mum-tum. After so many pregnancies it’s good to have clothes that are comfortable and that make me feel like myself again.
(The striped shirt underneath is the Talia Tunic, which can be purchased separately or as a bundle with the Twist Top. Also be sure to check out the free patterns that Rebecca Page offeres, we’ve had a lot of fun with those!)
