Stripey Top

Don't you think it's about time I sewed something to wear? Me too! Now that it's all behind me, I will confess that the reason I haven't been sewing much lately is because I was scared I might lose my job. Budget cuts hit Pennsylvania libraries hard, and in the midst of all the anxiety and depression, I just couldn't get excited about sewing...or much of anything, to be honest. Now that things are getting sorted, and I still have a job (!), it's time to get back to it!

I was tempted to get back in the swing of things by making a skirt, but a faithful reader, Mags, gently reminded me that I can do skirts in my sleep, so maybe it was time for something new. With that in mind, I decided to tackle the striped knit I got at Jomar Fabrics last month.

You all know how fond I am of sewing knits. --ahem-- Originally, I intended to make the Built by Wendy pattern, Simplicity 3692. Taking a closer look at it...oh, yikes. It has that yoke, and it's not my usual silhouette, and I'm a huge wimp who doesn't like to take chances. So I turned to Butterick 6084. Ah, that's more like it! A simple boatneck top.

So how did this happen?

Well, that Butterick pattern is O-L-D and I guess I never looked at it very closely, because it's not my size. [If anyone would like to have it, let me know. It fits sizes 8, 10, or 12, and if you click on the link for it, you can see the corresponding measurements.]

So it was Built by Wendy, be default. The shirt was not that hard to make after all. It's maybe a little more voluminous than I'd like (and that was going down a size), but I'm pleased with it. The only thing I changed was the hem. The pattern has slightly rounded hem, and that looked terrible with the stripes, so I picked apart the first hem and redid it.

I also thought it needed a flower, but I didn't feel like winging it, so I did a quick search for a tutorial. (The CraftStylish blog is pretty cool, by the way. I don't think I've ever been there before.)


Notice how the flower looks bigger in the third picture? That's how it started out, and I cut it down. Now I wish I'd left it bigger, so I'm going to redo it. Geesh.

Speaking of geesh. Taking pictures of yourself with a timer can sure be entertaining.

Um, why didn't I put the shoulder with the flower towards the camera?

Okay, better, but I think I'd prefer it straight on.

Too low.

Still too low.

Timer? What timer?