Hi all,
Well,
the snow’s back. We had a bit of a blizzard last night which has
left some very impressive snow drifts today.
No
way was I going out in that so I decided to grab my sewing machine and catch up on some sewing projects. I’ve been concentrating on
men’s shirts for so long I’m a bit behind on my stitching list.
One
of the things I like to do, especially when the weather is cold, is
wear layers. Normally, like most folks that means a nice cozy sweater on top of
a tee shirt. But, why not jazz it up a bit?
I
have this black turtle neck that just tends to sit in my closet. I
don’t wear it because, well it’s a turtle neck and doesn’t do
me any favors. It’s also a little dull and a bit short. I decided
to make a top I could wear over the turtle neck. Something to
brighten it up a bit.
This
pattern is Simplicity 2568 from 2009.
Two pinafore or jumper style
dresses and a tunic top. The pattern consists of one front piece and
two back pieces with dolman sleeves. So there’s no worrying about
setting them in. They’re part of the bodice already.
Now,
I’m not fond of the dress styles in this pattern. Especially not
the one in the middle. Although that could be because I’m off plaid
at the moment…
Anyway,
the view that interested me was the tunic top. Although not with that
collar… or the buckles at the base.
What
I ended up doing was the bodice section from view A. You can’t
really tell from the picture but, the dress is two pieces. The top
bodice section and a small skirt section that joins just under the
pockets. Well, I thought, the top from that dress would be ideal.
I
had some stretch velvet that I picked up from a thrift store a while
ago. It’s a lovely bright shade of red. That’ll certainly brighten up my
boring turtle neck!
The
pattern calls for a zip in the back of the dress but as the fabric
has a slight stretch, I left it out. Having a boat shaped neckline gives plenty of space to get it over my head too.
Overall,
I like how the top turned out. The only thing I had to keep in mind
was making sure the nap of the fabric was going the same way on all
pieces. Other than that, it was a nice quick sew finished in just
over an hour. That’s from tracing the pattern right through to
the final stitching.
Things
I’d change for next time:
Forget
The Facings
For
the next one I’ll bind the neckline and armholes with bias binding.
The facings don’t sit well and even though I’ve top stitched the
neck, the pesky little critters keep coming back up to the right
side. I’m not a fan of facings especially facings with a fetish for
playing peek-a-boo.
Needs
a Longer Length
I’d
add a couple of inches as it feels a little short for me. I like my
tops a little longer. That’s another reason I wanted a top to go
over the turtle neck. Did I mention the turtle neck is a bit short
too?
Removing
the Back Seam
For
the next one, I’ll cut the back pieces all in one to leave out the
back seam. I’ll be using a fabric with a bit of stretch again so
the zip isn’t really necessary.
Sticking
with the layering theme, my next project is this waistcoat or vest pattern,
McCall’s 8940 from 1997. I’m hoping to make this using fabric
from my stash. That could be interesting. Apart from the flannel for T's next shirt, most of my stash is fleece
or knit fabric.
This
pattern envelope recommends cotton, linen, denim, corduroy or challis
so I’m going to need a woven.
Bye
for now
Olly
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