McCalls 6751 Yoga Tops

These two garments are a result of the rummaging through my fabric and pattern stash I did back in January. I've had this pattern for absolutely ages as I really love an interesting back design and this has four of them! It is McCalls 6751 and I think I bought it at one of the sewing shows years ago. However, since then I haven't been all that inspired to make it, I think because I hardly ever wear tank style tops; a lesson in making sewing plans that actually fit your lifestyle and needs! Fortunately inspiration struck when I was pairing up stash fabrics with patterns. I had a number of small lengths of jersey and needed to refresh my selection of yoga clothes... this top is perfect for that!

I made view A with the cross over back and view B with the twisted back. I was originally thinking about making these tops is a woven viscose but the fabric suggestions on the pattern envelope indicate that the designs are suitable for knits too. When patterns say this it does confuse me slightly as knits and wovens behave and fit quite differently. Now I've made these tops I would say that view B is definitely more suited to knits but making any view in either fabric type could work, with a bit of thought beforehand. I'd definitely recommend sizing down if you choose to use a knit fabric. Perhaps the pattern could and should provide more info about fabric choice and how you might need to adapt the pattern to suit.

Generally the Big 4 pattern companies tend to include a lot of ease but most of the time I've had good results with McCalls patterns if I go down one size from my measurements to the 10 (as I have here, using the size S with covers 8-10) I think if I made these in future I would go down another size to the XS (4-6) even in a woven fabric as they are both quite wide on the shoulder and neckline. Looking at the images on the pattern envelope view B (which is the version with the twisted back) looks to be quite close fitting to the model's body but in reality the fit is very relaxed. 

Having said all that, the relaxed fit makes them great for the yoga I wanted them for. Layered over a sports bra I don't mind the bagginess but for an everyday top to wear with jeans I'd like a much neater fit. The necklines are wide (you can see the front neckline sagging in the photos) but actually the tops slide about on the shoulders less than I imagined when I move. The twist back version is more practical and the cross back better suited to a more stationary yoga session but I think if I put a couple of hand stitches/swing catches in the wrap it might make it a bit more downward dog appropriate!

These are so quick and straight forward to make! There are two pattern pieces for each view plus a head of bias binding. You sew the shoulder seams, side seams and then use one big piece of binding to finish the raw edges. The version with the twisted back has an additional centre back seam and hem to sew but is still so quick. The most time consuming part is definitely the binding but if you're making a woven version and have bought binding rather than making your own that will save a big chunk of time. 

As I was working with a knit fabric, rather than using the bias tape as a facing following the method in the instructions (and how I would usually do on a woven garment) I attached the binding as I would a neckband and then turned it to the inside and topstitched. I also followed the direction of the greatest amount of stretch in my fabric and cut my pieces on the cross grain of the fabric rather than on the bias. I'm really pleased with the neat finish I achieved with this.

The fabric is a cotton jersey from The Fabric Store. I love this rich terracotta colour and the marl texture. However, it doesn't have great elasticity or recovery and I had to be really careful about stretching it out along the edges when I was sewing and pressing. This is just the nature of this type of jersey rather than a poor quality fabric. It is one of those quite stiff jerseys if that makes sense? The body it has works well to show off the back details of this design rather than it all folding in itself but it still has enough of a drape to look nice at the front.

I just about squeezed these two tops out of 1.5m of fabric and managed to piece together the many many metres of binding required from the scraps. Talk about really using up my stash fabrics! You might think you can get these tops out of hardly anything but actually the unusually shaped back pieces take up quite a bit of fabric.

All in all I'm not over the moon with these but they've filled a gap in my wardrobe and will certainly get a lot of wear for home yoga and possibly summer running too. This pattern was also part of my #makenine challenge for 2021 which I am making slow progress on. Making these was a refreshing change from the more complex garments I usually find myself drawn to. It's nice to mix things up with your sewing from time to time don't you think?