Friday, November 15, 2019

A Floral Top for the Literary Sewing Circle



Today is the last day for posting your project in this round of the Literary Sewing Circle! I finished one more item that I'm including as a sewalong project, since the print reminds me so much of Japanese florals.

I'm repeating another pattern, the Burda Swing Top (115-11-18) that I recently tested out in a stretchy black polka dot knit. I really liked the outcome of my first test so remade it in this stretch lace. Of course, because it's a lace I also had to make a shell to go under it (the Sorbetto) in an appropriately rust-toned stash fabric.



I adjusted the pattern for this top slightly from my first attempt. I moved the shoulder gathers out toward the shoulder seam by about 1/2" on each side, as I found them too close to the neckline in the original version. I added 3" to the length of the pattern when I traced it, but this time I wanted it a tiny bit shorter so didn't add any hem allowance when I cut it out. But I didn't account for the weight of the original black knit as opposed to the lightweight nature of this lace, so it is a bit shorter even than I had planned -- this lace does not pull down on itself at all. It's still a good length, but the difference in fabric is something you might want to keep in mind if you try this out yourself.



I'm wearing it with a bright skirt (Vogue 1247) which I also made for this outfit, from the remnants of an earlier Burda dress. I thought this skirt would pick up the blue/green tones in the floral print of the top.



I also had the perfect thrifted necklace to go with this outfit. Love when that happens - not only is the colour right but the beads are very smooth and won't snag this lace!



This was a pretty simple project, since I'd just made a tester version. There weren't many changes to this pattern other than small adjustments to suit my preferences. With the slightly lesser stretch to this lace though, I could have made the lower sleeve just a smidge larger. But I do love how the motifs did match up at the cuff ends!



This is an unusual outfit for me, made up of three items that are all repeats of patterns I've made before. I don't repeat many patterns, mainly because I have a huge pattern stash and just want to try them all -- but when something works, it's worth making again. I'm going to try to get more use from my patterns by reusing the ones I really like, and this is a good start.




I hope you will be sharing a Literary Sewing Circle project this time, but if not -- you are still welcome to go back and read all the posts and comment on them if you decide to read our title in future. I've enjoyed my two projects this time, and look forward to the next round of the Literary Sewing Circle that will begin in early 2020.


6 comments:

  1. Great top Melanie. It looks lovely, and all you tips make for an interesting read. Weight of fabric and fall are important, but I don't think I would have considered this before cutting. I love the way you fully accessorize your outfits, so colour co-ordinated! It really shows them off to their best.

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    1. Yep, I didn't fully consider it either but thankfully it still worked ;) Thanks for the compliments.

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  2. Melanie, just a thought ... I did put a photo of my LSC top on instagram, but didn't tag it to the LSC. I am really not sure how to do this.

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    1. Sara, I put a link to it on the round up post -- but because your profile is private it doesn't show up when you click it unless someone is following you.

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  3. Replies
    1. Thanks!! I am enjoying using my Burda mags :)

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