Anchor’s Away! (McCall’s 6571)

First top for the cruise collection is finished! I wanted a nautical style top to celebrate the cruise. So, of course, I had to go with a boat neck navy and white striped t-shirt.

>>> M6571 Review <<<

Pattern Description: Close-fitting, pullover tops have neckline variations, below elbow or long sleeves and narrow hems.

Pattern Sizing: I chose size 16 but ended up making some fit adjustments so its closer to a 14 below the armholes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes. Very clear. Although I did change the construction order. I set the sleeves in flat and instead of using the neckline facings that came with the pattern I just bound the neckline edges.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The pattern was great! I particularly liked all the fitting suggestions and fitting adjustment lines printed on the pattern. I didn’t end up using them, but it was nice to have and I may use them in the future.

Fabric Used: Stable (ponte?) knit in navy and blue stripes I found on sale at JoAnn’s. It has a bit of a horizontal ribbed texture within the stripes and it did mess with my eyes a bit while I was sewing. It was nice a plush and very easy to work with.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I made a few adjustments to this pattern to get it exactly how I wanted.

• I added 1″ in length to the front and back at the hemline. The red line on the pattern was so I could match stripes. I had to lay out the pieces on flat fabric, instead of folded, so I could get the stripes to match. Not difficult, just takes some planning.

• I also graded the side seams from a 16 at the bust to a 14 at the waist and a bit past a 16 at the new lower hem line. I used a hip curve I found online.

• After trying it on I cut 3″ off the length of the sleeves and narrowed it a bit from the underarm to cuff, reducing to about 1″ narrower at the cuff.
• I also ended up re-stitching the side seam along the bust area to take it in about 1/2″ on each side. Turns out I didn’t need as much ease as was included in the pattern (which was only about 1″ at the bust).
• I adjusted the facings to be bindings instead and top stitched them down.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I think I would sew it again, but maybe I’d try a different neckline. Its a great fit for a knit top so I could use all kinds of different fabrics to get a different look. Perhaps it was just the fabric choice but I found it very forgiving and easy to fit, which is usually a problem for me with tops.

Conclusion: Love this top! It has just the right nautical flair and will go with everything!

>>> In other news <<<

Ben likes to take pictures with my camera. Here’s one he caught of me the other day while I was working in the craft room.