Owl Try It

Top, self-stitched

Skirt, Rafaella via Ross

Shoes, Dansko

Necklace, Carrefour

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Oh, sure, now the sun comes out, after I've given up trying to get a clear picture and changed my clothes! It's a good thing we aren't doing this self-stitched month deeper into the winter, or I'd never get any good photos! --grumble grumble--

This top was inspired by Self-Stitched September. Compared to skirts, I have very few self-sewn tops, so I decided to get busy and try to get over that hump. Not only do I gravitate towards sewing skirts, I also actively shy away from making tops. Why? Well, part of that is because I prefer knit tops, either tees or sweaters. I've sewn a few knit pieces over the years, but I'm never 100% comfortable with the process. I also like solid tops best, but I rarely find a solid fabric that grabs my attention. Finally, I admit it, I'm always a bit wary of setting in sleeves.

My first goal was to make a knit top. I picked up a cute knit print back at Gaffney's in the spring, and I knew I wanted to make a draped-neck top with it. Not wanting to run the risk of ruining my cute print, I dug this dark green out of my "KNITS" bin to make a prototype. The pattern is New Look 6901, and I remember buying the fabric for $1/yard at Fabric Mart.

So how horrific was it? It wasn't. Even with this very stretchy, slippery, slinky knit, it went pretty smoothly! Just one pattern note: I did lengthen this by about two inches.

Once I finished, I called my mom, and she said I should launch directly into another knit, so I'd keep the mojo going. I thought that was wonderful advice, and I wish I could say I followed it, but I didn't. I wanted to move along to my second goal: Making a print top. You'll see that result soon.

Here are a few close ups of my necklace. What else says autumn like an owl? This set me back a whopping 2 euro at Carrefour in Spain. (That's just 1 euro per owl!) What did I see the next time I looked at the jewelry at Forever 21? Owls, owls, and more owls.