Note: These are the instructions for sewing these tops. The pattern is free to use and distribute, as long as you credit me, and not to use to make things to sell. Please use it make scrubs for your local health service as they so desperately need them. xx
This project takes a bit longer to sew than the trousers; there are more seams. It was an exercise in sewing organisation and efficiency, or, as it could be interpreted, useful laziness. I didn't want to get the iron out, and it takes longer, so I worked around it. I'd like to know if that's good practice.
You can still definitely make this project as your first project, but the steps are more in-depth. You might need to Google a few things if I'm not completely clear about them. And, obviously, ask! :)
Organising your sewing steps
In Kathleen Fasanella's book The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing, she talks about order of work. She says to think about what kind of seams you're going to sew, and organise your order of work around that. There is still critical path (when one thing has to happen before the next thing does). But I think what she meant is that you should group seams together so that they can be done at the same machine, at the same sitting.
I didn't really get that until today, when I was planning the construction of the scrubs top #prtw003. I have only two machines: my sewing machine and my overlocker. In this project I'm not pressing if I can help it. So I wrote next to each step whether it was an overlocker job, or a sewing machine job, and bundled accordingly.
When you sew the toile of a project, your steps may get jiggled around a bit as things become obvious to you that weren't when you were sewing in your head. Like applying the pockets before sewing the shoulder seams; it's easier with less fabric to get in the way.
Seam/hem styles used in this project
Stitched, overlocked together and pressed to one side.
Stitched, overlocked separately and pressed to one side.
4-thread overlock seam.
Under-stitched seam
Double-fold hem
Turned-under superimposed seam (pockets)
How to Sew Scrubs Top PRTW-003
It's a very simple top. Almost all straight seams, and it's a pull-over style so there are no fastenings. As is the standard at P-RTW, the steps are bundled together, rather than the usual individual step-by-step process that you get in commercial sewing patterns.
1. First bundle
Hem the body and sleeves (I made a video for this!)
Overlock side seam allowances on body, and underarm seam on sleeves
Overlock facing edges. Sew shoulder seams on facings.
Prepare the pockets
overlock sides and bottom
hem top edge
Stay-stitch neckline (I was naughty and didn't but it was fine, so if your handling is good at the machine, and your fabric is not inclined to stretch out, you can skip this step).
2. Apply pockets
Fold one top edge under 1cm.
Match the top corners to the dots.
Sew 2mm (scant 1/8") from the edge.
Match up other top corner to make sure your pocket is on straight.
Going round corners
Turn under 1 cm at a top corner, match it up to the marking on the body, and put it under the presser foot. Needle down, 2 mm from the edge.
To make sure you sew the pocket on straight, match the other top corner to its mark too and hold the pocket flat.
Turn under 1 cm for the rest of the side of the pocket that you're sewing. Sew.
When you get near to the bottom corner, turn the bottom edge under 1 cm as well for the proximity. Sew and pivot at the corner.
Repeat at the next corner. I folded so that the corners matched. This isn't necessary. I just wanted to.
Sew up to the other top corner, pivot, sew a few stitches (maybe 4) and then pivot again. Sew a slight curve and come to sew a second line of stitching 6mm or so from the edge of the pocket.
Sew the rest of the way around the pocket, making the top corners match.
Sew a bar-tack at each top corner.
Stitching a patch pocket to a garment; stitching line and bar-tacks
3. Shoulder seams
Sew with 1 cm seam allowance, overlock, and TS down with the seam allowances towards the front.
Cut-through view of seam. The circle indicates overlocking.
The straight lines are stitching, and the other lines are the fabric.
4. Face neckline.
Please ignore my camera strap. :)
Start a little way from the point.
It helps a lot if you mark the v on the stitch line.
Sew over the v again with smaller stitches to secure it.
Add caption
Under-stitching is sew the seam allowances to the facing. It make it lie nicer.
Top-stitching the facing down.
Sew.
Reinforce v-neck with smaller stitching on top of seam.
Have the shoulder seams of the facing lay towards the back, so that there is less bulk in the neckline.
Snip to, but not through the stitching at the v, and also at the sharp curves at the back shoulder bit on the neckline. This will help it lay better.
Under-stitch
TS facing down. With the top inside out, lay the facing flat and stitch down using the overlocked edge as a guide.
5. Set sleeves
Insert in the flat, with the sleeve on top, and matching notches. It helps if you go a little at a time, stopping with the needle down and lifting the presser foot slightly to allow the fabric to relax. Keep raw edges even.
Overlock
Top-stitch with the seam allowances towards the body. Same kind of seam as on the shoulders.
6. Underarm seam
Sew from or to the slit marking, and backstitch to secure.
TS the slit open.
TS both the seam allowances towards the front, all the way from the slit to the sleeve hem.
Bar-tack at the top of the slits (this is a nice time to use a fancy decorative stitch on your machine if you have any).
Thus you have a scrubs top with no pressing involved and no pinning. Feels good to be efficient! ;)
Pattern Development Notes
Well, this pattern didn't go quite as smoothly as the trousers. Mainly because I initially forgot to add a hem allowance. I've obviously corrected that now, but before it was suitable for petite people.
The sleeve was drafted by eye. It really is much easier to do it that way than with a mathematical system, somehow. Our subconscious minds really are wonderful things!
The block used was the Flat Shirt block from Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear (5th Ed.) by Winifred Aldrich (page 22). I altered the armscye to be different front and back, and drafted the sleeve by eye, so that it's slightly asymmetrical. I used the size chart on page 15, for S, M, L, XL sizes, and added XS, XXL and 3XL.
How to grade your sewing pattern a size beyond your nest
Incidentally, I stumbled across a great way to grade up/down a size or two in illustrator when you've already made the nested set!
Select the piece in the size you're grading from. Copy and paste in front (cmd + f).
Select one anchor point on it and drag it to the corresponding anchor on the next size.
Press enter/return. The Move box will come up. Reverse the polarity of the numbers (i.e. if they have a -, remove it, and if they don't have one, add it. Press enter/return. This will move it back to where it was a second ago.
Press enter twice, or cmd + d and it will move the same distance and direction again, grading that point.
Repeat for the remaining anchors and you have your next size!
This save so much faffing about with writing down numbers!
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