The Four Tops - "I Can't Help Myself"

It's been a while since my last post but I have indeed been sewing.  After sewing the olive green jacket, I felt the need to make some quick and simple knit tops.  I made four tops...but I cannot say "Four Tops" without thinking of the title of the wonderful Motown song by the Four Tops, "I Can't Help Myself" which is how I felt making these tops.  They came together quickly and provided me with some instant gratification.

The first top I made was a long sleeve brown turtleneck top made out of a bamboo knit jersey I purchased at NY Elegant Fabrics in NYC.  I made it to go with the sweater knit cardigan I made a few months back.  I love the cardigan but the fabric feels itchy to me so I decided to make a long sleeve turtleneck to shield me from the itchy fabric:

Which then led me to make another turtleneck in a wonderful navy blue fabric a dear friend convinced me I just had to have (and she was right).  It was purchased in one of those little stores on 39th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues that always has a "Going Out of Business" sign but never does.  I got the end of the bolt:

Since I had plenty of the navy blue fabric left over, I made a 3/4 length sleeve scoop neck top for the warmer months:

Finally, I just had to make one more turtleneck in a heather grey interlock fabric I had in my stash:

All of the above tops are self-drafted patterns.  They are sewn 100% on the serger.  For the turtlenecks, I made sure to use the 3 thread overlock stitch on my machine.  I believe this stitch has a good amount of give to it which allows the neckline to stretch enough to fit my big head (ha!).  I used the coverstitch for all of the hems.  I also sewed darts into all of the tops using the technique I wrote about in a previous post:

They are all very comfortable and great to wear by themselves or under jackets.  I am not done making knit tops yet!  I will post again soon...

Happy Sewing!