Autumn has officially hit us here in Australia but I still can't bear to say goodbye to my linen jumpsuits and slip dresses. I've therefore been wearing my trusty black turtleneck underneath them. Thank goodness for this 90's trend!
My all time favourite turtleneck had been a black merino one from Uniqlo (worn in photo above), but after getting a small hole in it (which I patched up immediately) I got worried about its eventual disintegration if I continue to abuse it in my endless winter outfits.
So I decided to make one.
I looked for similar pattern that fulfilled the two major details: it has to be tight-fitting, and has a close-fitting neckband.
The first one I went for was the Freya dress/top from Tilly and the Button's Stretch book. I liked its mock neck and close-fitting shape, but sadly it wasn't quite as body-hugging as I'd like it to be.
And then I went for the closest fitting pattern I owned: The Agnes Top, also by Tilly and the Buttons. I've always loved the fit of it, so I decided to hack it into my dream skivvy!
Now, the following method is what worked for me, and I'd made the adjustments from referring to an Agnes top I'd already made. Because the pattern is very close fitting and has negative ease, you may want to make a toile. I would also recommend a knit fabric that has 3-5% lycra/spandex OR MORE to give it maximum stretch.
First, I went ahead and put on my Agnes top, which was made in size 1.
I measured the distance between the shoulder point at the neckline to my neck, which was 8cm.
Then I measure the distance between the centre of the neckline to my neck, which was 11cm.
I didn't do any measurements on the back because, let's be honest, I'm no contortionist!
After that I got out my pattern and made these adjustments - the blue dotted lines became the new cutting lines. For the back, I simply extended the shoulder seam by 8cm to match the front, and then smoothed it out towards the centre fold, extending the centre of the neckline as much as I needed.
I cut the pieces out of a metre of a cotton lycra knit. Then I sewed the shoulder seams together, following the instructions. Now is also a good time to try it on and make sure your head fits through!
I then measured the neck hole and cut out a neck band that was 12 inches long and 5 inches wide (I cut it on the fold). It was really a bit of trial and error: I originally used 85% of that measurement plus seam allowance , but then my head couldn't fit through the band! So I made a couple more neck bands before I arrived at the measurement I was happy with. Your neckband might be different depending on the size of your top.
Oh, and make sure the stretch is running horizontally along the neckband!
I then just finished the rest of the top following the instructions. There are lots of tutorials on attaching neck bands. I simply marked 4 equal points on the neckline and on the neckband with pins, and then matched them up together, making sure the seam on the neckband is on the centre back.
Here's my finished top! I honestly can't wait to make more of these. I LOVE how the neckband sits so close to my neck and it just gives a really polished look!
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