Back-to-School Bateaux Top Pattern: Sewing with Knits

This past week I had the opportunity to sew up the Bateaux Neck Top from ‘Wee Muses Patterns‘ by my blogging friend, Anneliese from Aesthetic Nest. I was excited to get my hands on this pattern as I’m trying to start sewing with more knits for my kids.

The Bateaux Pattern has a top and dress version and comes in several different variations each. The main pattern is for the top and then there is a dress add-on extension that you can purchase which gives you tons of different options. I toyed with the idea of doing a dress or changing up the pattern, but to be totally honest, my girls are in need of basics right now so I decide to sew the 3/4 sleeve top with front pocket.

This pattern was so easy. I know a lot of you are probably fearful about sewing with knits, but they really aren’t that tricky. And the instructions in this pattern are very easy to understand with step-by-step photographs throughout the pattern.

Entrance to our yard. If you’ve ever wondered……we really do live in a cottage.

As far as sewing with knits go, I do use my serger a lot when sewing on knit fabric, but it is not necessary for this pattern. I will say; however, that if you do plan to sew a lot of garments, it’s a great investment. I currently sew on a Baby Lock Evolution Serger which is pretty fancy with a cover stitch as well, but there are many entry level sergers that are great when you are first starting out. I like to use a jersey needle in my regular machine and sew with a stitch length of 3.0. I’ve found that if I use anything less than a 3.0, my stitches don’t have enough stretch. I also have quite a few fancy stretch stitches on my machine that work really well, but I thought you might like to know how I sew on knit without all the bells and whistles. Using a double needle in your sewing machine or a zig-zag stitch is also a great way to make sure you have some extra stretch needed when sewing with knits. And finally, I use a lot of spray starch. I’ve found it makes the fabric easier to handle and also prevents having any wavy edges. I’ll share more tips for sewing with knits on another day if that’s something you are interested in learning more about.

But back to the pattern…….I thought the fit was great. Savannah does not like her shirts to be too long and this top hit her in just the right spot. It was fitted without being tight which was also a great feature. I have had this bird knit fabric from Girl Charlee in my stash for a little while now and was dying to use it. The top took so little fabric that I have tons left over so the girls will be getting some other ‘bird’ pieces in their wardrobe this year. Luckily they love the print! Several of the dresses from the Bateaux pattern extension are so sweet. My favorite is the elastic waist dress that looks like it would be super comfy and perfect paired with leggings or tights for winter.

So in conclusion, I thought the Bateaux Top Pattern was a perfect beginner knit pattern and would highly recommend it to those of you that want to try your hand at sewing with knit. I also think it’s a great basic pattern that can be embellished and used to create many different one-of-a-kind pieces.