Breezy

Simplicity 2891
Or how to sew and stay happy, in 5-minutes increments.

(Yep, I copied the model's pose. Up to the hair band! She looks so darn cute, don't you think?)

Hi everyone!
Surprised to seeing me back so soon? Well, so am I. I went to my parents' country house and shut myself up in a room overlooking a meadow for a few days, on what could be termed a writing retreat. This seems to have worked rather well, as I wrote my last chapter from start to finish there... It still needs a bit of tidying up, of course (and I need to make sure it's not total crap), but I am the first surprised at how much I managed to accomplish. Although I still need to fully realize.

Every evening, too, I worked a little on this top: cutting out the pattern one night, the fabric another... and so on and so forth. I finished it in Paris tonight. Rather like my chapter, this little top kind of built itself on its own!

Pattern Description: Misses' tunic or top with sleeve and trim variations

Pattern Sizing: 6-14. I cut a 6.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? I think so?

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes.
Except there’s a mistake on the pattern for the sleeves’ gathers: they ought to extend from one outer dot, beyond the middle dot and on to the other outer dot. Unmissable mistake, though, and easy to fix.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I was attracted by its girliness. I like the yoke and love the gathered sleeves.
This top doesn’t have a zipper, yet is designed for non-stretchy fabrics. While this often means a top will look like a tent, I think here that the designers managed to give the top just enough ease to pull it through the shoulders, without making it too large.
I mean, OK, it's not the MOST flattering top in the world, but I have plenty of close-fitting tops and this, paired with fitted jeans, doesn't look half bad IMHO. It looks relaxed and breezy. (I think?)

No dislikes.

Fabric Used: Cotton eyelet, in my favourite shade of blue. Another fabric Seb chose with me, so it's in our favourite colour (we got this one at Bouchara).

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
- I did a FBA (my first serious FBA!).
- Instead of using fusible interfacing, I underlined it with white organza, because my fabric was see-through.
- I swapped steps 25 and 27: instead of sewing the sides and the sleeves' underarm seam, then attaching the sleeves to the top, I first attached the sleeves to the top, then sewed the side and underarm seam in one go. This made handling the sleeves' gathers much easier.
- Almost forgot! I shortened the top, and narrowed the sleeves a little.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes to both. I would love to make a version with the yoke in a contrasting fabric.

Conclusion: A cute little top that was fun to make and is nice to wear.
I almost decided on adding some lace as per the pattern picture (my initial idea), but with this eyelet fabric, I was afraid in the end that it’d look too lacey and maybe give away its homemade origin ;)

I believe it looks sleeker, and younger, without added frills.

Thanks ever so much for your comments on the Black Amethyst coat!
What a treat it was to come home and find all these in my inbox.