Top 2 – Spring Floral

While I didn’t complete as many tops in April as I wanted, I’m happy with what I’ve done so far. The latest one is New Look 6598. I’ve made this one before here about 4 years ago. This is View D which is the collarless option. I also made this one using a FBA (full bust adjustment). I like how it turned out. It gives me the room I need so I’m not constrained when I’m trying to move.

The material is from JoAnn’s and I’ve had that for 2 or 3 years. As I go through this process of building my wardrobe, I’m also trying to use any fabric I have that is appropriate for the project. This is a light cotton (washes well) that I think was from the Gertie fabric collection.

I like the tie in the back of the blouse that helps to give it some shape and is a small detail that you don’t see coming at first.

New Look 6598

I’ve still got at least one more top to make in this “wardrobe staple tops edition” series. It’s fun to create those things that you like and that you’ll wear – whatever your style is! I encourage you to do a little wardrobe planning and sewing of your own.

That’s all for now…

Wardrobe Staple Tops Edition

While I like to sew whatever I feel like sewing, I also try to work on those that things that I’m really most in need of. I usually realize that I need something at the time when I want to wear it. So, knowing that I am seriously lacking in shirts that aren’t made of knit material, I decided to spend some time making myself some this month. For this particular shirt, I used McCall’s 6613 which can be used for men or women.

M6613

This is a cotton (blend) gingham check I bought from Hobby Lobby. The only problem is it’s very thin. Since I really am more comfortable covered and don’t want my clothes to be see-through, I lined the front and back pieces in white. For the lining I used a white sheet I had previously purchased at the thrift store. *Tip: using queen or king size sheets from the thrift store can make great muslins and save you a lot of money. I think lining the body of the shirt in white actually makes the pink and white check stand out more than if I hadn’t done this.

M6613_Back

The only other changes I made to the construction of the shirt was just to shorten the length. This is the third time I’ve used this pattern (see others here ) so I knew I wanted to do that. And normally this time of year I wouldn’t even consider making a long-sleeve shirt, but the weather’s been so strange, I figure that I ‘ll still be able to get some wear out of it this spring before it gets really hot!

Here’s a video that shows the inside that I had posted on Instagram. The sound may not be great, but you’ll get to see the inside of the shirt….

IG_VideoShirtLining

I have a few more shirts/tops that I want to make in this round of sewing. I’ll keep you posted on how things go.

That’s all for now…

BurdaStyle Twisty Top

One of my new year’s goals is to really make use of the BurdaStyle magazine patterns. I’ve been a subscriber for years and have made a few things but not enough. I decided that if I’m going to continue to receive that magazine, I had better use it. I really enjoy reading the magazine and I always pick out a few things that I like in almost every issue. But, I haven’t taken the time to actually MAKE them. So, this year, my goal is to make at least one item from an issue for that month from any year. In other words, as February approaches, I’ve chosen something I want to make from a February issue from 2012. That gives me more options and it’s more fun and less limiting. That being said, I have at least accomplished this for January.

BurdaStyle 01/2018 #102

This is 01-2018 #102. It’s shown in the magazine as athleisure wear which it certainly can be. I made mine using athletic/performance fabric I bought at Joann’s. I made no alterations to the pattern. But, this top is designed well enough that made from a different fabric (they suggest silk jersey), you could wear this for a night out on the town. I love versatile patterns!

You could even make this with short sleeves for warmer weather.

The biggest surprise for me was that this was very easy to make. Anyone who’s ever tried one of their patterns knows that the directions can sometimes be a bit confusing. This was straight-forward.

So it’ll be on to the next project for me and hoping to get a February make done!

BurdaStyle 01/2018 #102