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Just Add Detail

After my first Ziggy Top earlier this year, I fell in love with the pattern so I couldn’t say no when I was asked to participate in the Just Add Detail competition run by Madeit Patterns.


The idea is to take this great oversized top and add a unique detail to change it up.  The winner will be the maker with the most interesting detail.  You can read more about the details (see what I did there?) of the competition here.

For this Ziggy, I decided to take a basic fabric and manipulate the fabric itself.  I bought this lightweight sweater knit in the cast off bin of G Street Fabrics in the early autumn with plans to make soft tights for Bean. It’s a subtle lavender color so I knew she’d love it since purple is everything to her these days.  However, each time I picked up the fabric to cut out a pair of tights I reconsidered since it’s so supple and just begged to become an actual sweater.  As it’s approaching spring weather here I thought this was the perfect opportunity to finally make it into the sweater it wanted to be.

terrible iPhone pic

I started out with a large piece of the fabric which I knew would later fit the front pattern piece even with some width and height removed.  I made a diagonal pintuck which I imagined would look like it was coming from the right shoulder.  I continued to make pintucks along the same diagonal, until I had six in total.  As this is a lightweight knit, I did a lot of pressing and a used a bit of starch to make sure the fabric didn’t slip around too much.  I also used the walking foot on my sewing machine to avoid any stretching or pulling.

Once I pressed the six pintucks in the same direction, I made a pintuck in the cross direction, but slightly off center.  I wasn’t going for a big X in the center of the top, though that would be cool too.  To avoid the X I made only three cross pintucks and kept them toward the top.  All of this was improvised, but as soon as I was done with the third cross pintuck I knew it was done.  I probably should have used a ruler and marked where the lines should go, but in all honesty this was an idea that popped into my head in the eleventh hour so I dropped my original look and jumped onto this one.  Knowing that I wouldn’t have time to wash out any markings, I just eyeballed everything as I went along.

Speaking of eleventh hour, the Ziggy Top is so quick and easy to assemble it is the perfect last minute make.  It took more time to do the pintucks than it did to complete the entire rest of the top – including the hems.  It’s the perfect go to layering piece.

Bean was under the weather yesterday so it was tough getting any decent pics of the sweater.  I almost skipped it completely since she was looking so poorly in the morning, but around noon she perked up and begged to go running around outside.  I used the opportunity to let her get some fresh air in her lungs and also snag a few pics before she wore out.

She loves her new purple sweater and I love the texture and interest those little pintucks lend.  Once I had finished manipulating the fabric, I simply cut out the front pattern piece and sewed the rest of the sweater together according to the instructions.  Super easy!

I can’t wait to see what everyone else’s details are because I know it’ll bring so much inspiration to such a lovely base pattern concept.  Below is the list of other bloggers who are in the competition.  All of the looks will be posted today, so take a moment of your Monday to check out some cool inspiration!

  • kimmie sew crazy
  • nearest the pin
  • glitter and wit
  • climbing the willow
  • bonnie and lottie
  • my cozy co
  • la folie sewing booth
  • huisje boompje boefjes
  • made-by-sara
  • fliegfederfrei
  • call ajaire
  • our chez nous
  • creative needle and threads
  • nat and gang
  • sewing sober
  • made by toya
  • diorella-n
  • 20% off Ziggy

    And until March 29th, the Ziggy Top will be 20% off in the MadeIt Pattern Shop, so there’s plenty of time to purchase your own and put some of these ideas to use!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Teri Olson

      March 23, 2015 at 1:19 pm

      I'm really impressed with how great your pintucks look on a sweater knit! And I love the contrasting thread!

      Reply
    2. Inês Melo

      March 23, 2015 at 5:15 pm

      This is such a great idea! Really cute and it looks really perfect, my "eyeballed" things never look this good, great job.

      Reply
    3. Anna Bruce

      March 23, 2015 at 10:16 pm

      Such a great idea and so very neat and straight what an amazing job, I really love how simple the design is but it has so much impact, really great!

      Reply
    4. Renee //nearestthepin

      March 23, 2015 at 10:23 pm

      I agree with the other comments – what a clever way to add interest to the pattern. Great job!!!

      Reply
    5. Needle and Ted

      March 23, 2015 at 10:55 pm

      Very, very clever. And so neat and even without measuring. I'm super impressed.

      Reply
    6. Becca DuVal

      March 23, 2015 at 11:43 pm

      WOW! So simple, yet SUCH visual impact. I have definitely gotta put this in my "must replicate" pile 😀

      Reply
    7. Dorothea Cain

      March 24, 2015 at 3:56 am

      Love love love the pinstripes! So much elegance!

      Reply
    8. Ajaire

      March 24, 2015 at 3:00 pm

      Thank you Teri! It was so lightweight that I was really worried about it. I used a bit of starch before each pressing and that helped a TON. 🙂

      Reply
    9. Ajaire

      March 24, 2015 at 3:01 pm

      That's what I was going for Anna. I love the shape of your pattern and wanted to add something small that would make a big impact. I got the inspiration just from looking at your chevron stripes in the original 🙂

      Reply
    10. Joanna

      March 24, 2015 at 11:00 pm

      Did I miss the part where you said that you added a darker purple neckband? I think that's pretty cool but I don't see any mention of it. The pintucks are cool too, but this is another way to personalize it.

      Reply

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    callajaire

    The sparkles aren’t showing up in the pics, but The sparkles aren’t showing up in the pics, but this beauty from my partner in the #fabriceggstravaganza swap will look super cute in the basket with the rest of our eggs 😍😍
    The second pattern I have in this issue of @onethi The second pattern I have in this issue of @onethimble is for a pair of athletic leggings!  We love the snug fit and the comfortable waistband. This style goes perfectly with the Diamondback Cami & Crop 💕
#ot28 #dbcadiamondback #designsbycallajaire
    Here’s the fun back detail of the Diamondback Ca Here’s the fun back detail of the Diamondback Cami and Crop. 😍😍 
The name comes from the back overlap detail where if you use a stretch mesh you can see a diamond shape stand out through the layers. ♦️ 
It’s just as unique sewn up in a solid jersey, but I love seeing the fold over elastic outline through the mesh. 💕 
Preorders of @onethimble issue 28 are released on the 11th and can be purchased now in their shop!  Remember the prices are in Australian dollars, so the value is even better than you may think 😉
#dbcadiamondback #designsbycallajaire  #ot28
    I have two patterns coming out in the next issue o I have two patterns coming out in the next issue of @onethimble and here’s a first look at one of them!  The Diamondback Cami & Crop view A cami 💕 
This traditional camisole shape has a shelf lining (perfect for swim!) and a fun twist on the reverse side.  Fold-over elastic for the edges and straps makes this a quick sew with clean finishes and has sizes newborn through 16years. 😘
One Thimble Issue 28 releases for preorders on March 11th so head over to get your preorder in now 😍

#designsbycallajaire #dbcadiamondback #ot28 #onethimbleissue28 #pdfpatterns #pdfsewingpattern #sewingforkids #sewingfortweens #sewingswimwear
    It was so nice to be able to be outside after napt It was so nice to be able to be outside after naptime in some sunshine and warmer weather. Spring is coming 💕💕
    It was so fun pulling things from my scrap bin ear It was so fun pulling things from my scrap bin earlier this week for the #fabriceggstravaganza hosted by @postalthreads. Lots of memories and fun textures like @shannonfabrics Cuddle© minky and Embrace double gauze. 
I love how fun the fabric eggs were to plan and how quickly they sew together. Now I can’t wait for @yarn_n_paint to get her box of eggs so I can share how they turned out. 
Also I’m already planning more to make cause let’s face it, when I said that I pulled from “my scrap bin,” we all know there’s way more than one scrap bin 😆😆
    This baby wearing a shirt from back in the day tha This baby wearing a shirt from back in the day that she found in the hand me down bin. It’s wrinkled but still cute! 💕 Scroll to see her sister wearing it with a bow belt  back in February 2014 😍
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    I've always loved making. At an early age I started cross stitching and sewing and I taught myself to knit and crochet during college. When our seven year old daughter Bean was born I was filled with all sorts of inspiration, so now I find ways to manage my crafty time and treasure those moments. Though sewing is what I'm most passionate about these days, there's something about the portability of yarn crafts and embroidery that keeps drawing me back in.

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