Showing posts with label silk noil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label silk noil. Show all posts

Monday, 24 June 2019

Papercut Patterns Pinnacle top in silk noil

Um, by the way, welcome back, right?

There was a hiatus in the past months, as I got my sewing machines all in one place, and then made that place into somewhere I could sew. I was planning to slow sew this year - with intent. However, I realised that it didn't jive with being newly reunited with over 2 years of WIPs.  Yes indeed, uncertainty in my life meant that half my luggage, including my precious Pfaff, went to Australia without me and waited until this February when I could sort it all and send it back.

So I decided June would be the Month of Doing All the WIPs and UFOs no matter how dreary.

Well, this one isn't so dreary, I cut it out in January, but I cut out a LOT of things in January so it's still quite a slog getting through them all.

I did still have to figure out which view I'd gone with (view 2, too bad, at the moment I like view 1 a lot more...) Smallest size.

I did this in about 2 hours.  I had problems.  Both front halves, once you sew on the triangles, had overlaps.  Here's a photo:


I am on a mission to finish my WIPs!!
So I was sad but I reckoned the only thing to do was cut off that edge. So I did. And then I sewed them together and got this:


I promise I did not fail geometry class in high school.
I adore this shade of deep marine blue and I love silk noil and I wish I'd bought 10 more colours while I was in the States.  It's from Blackbird Fabrics.  But at that point I just said I was Over It.  Then ironically the hand made double fold bias tape went on with nary a hitch.




 





More problems: I don't really like how kimono sleeves make big wrinkles under my arms.  (In general.  I griped about that when I first made the Strata top - a partial fix is to do a french seam so you have only the tiniest of extra fabric there.)

I don't like the tie. Too cute.   I actually love the way the front sits though. (geometry fail and all.) 

Problems with the instructions: you aren't told which way to iron your seam allowances.  It's a small thing, but on a pattern with some weird origami it's nice to have that detail.

So I am likely to make this again with view 1.  Even though I am not a friend of facings.  It might not be soon though because it's way too cold to wear a roomy top.  I will apply the benefit of the doubt and say my silk noil may have stretched in transit or I may have done some lazy cutting and that's why I ended up with such a bizarre discrepancy in the pattern pieces...will need to repeat and see.


Saturday, 3 November 2018

Elbe Textiles Botany top x 2

When I discovered this top on Kylie and the Machine's Instagram I was in love, both with the top and with the new pattern company Elbe Textiles.

BUT it took awhile to get my act together to sew it.  I was moving and travelling for awhile. That made this simple project seem like a huge deal.

I looked over the instructions and didn't follow them at all. I used a scrap of leftover silk noil and size XS. I sewed front and back together - I had to cut the back in two pieces - and then added my bindings.  This reminded me at that point of the Emmeline top by the Little Tailoress. I think she has since rebranded and come out with other patterns but the concept was the same - a very simple top - though in the case of the Emmeline it had terrible instructions and bad drafting on versions a and b.

Seems like I might revisit that top now as the Botany showed me how you could get a good finish on these kimono sleeves - by leaving the side seams open, finishing the sleeve with binding, and then sewing the side seam, you get a clean finish on all edges.  I was totally unable to figure this out myself but despite the messy finish, I loved my version of the Emmeline, view C, which I lengthened with the hem of the Polly top. (here)




Here's my first Botany!  I love it, it goes over a tank top for some style or alone for some air.  It's the perfect fabric.  Do note that I'm 5'4" and can never repeat often enough - I have NO torso.  My ribs practically hit my hips.  So if you don't want this to be very cropped you might want to lengthen it.




I climbed to the top of a mountain for these pictures!  It was very cold and windy...

So I decided to do a second one in stretch silk but I didn't have enough fabric to double the see-through front, giving me the excuse to use this ugly piece of lace I picked up and want to be rid of.  Of course having two layers both front and back meant this took a bit more attention, and this time I did leave the side seams to apply the bias tape flat, though I did the neckline last instead of also doing it flat.  I added on the ruffle to see what I thought of it.  I promised this top to one of my nurses right away as I thought I'd hate the lace.  I do really like the ruffle though, and I think I might make more of these once I see what fabrics my stash can provide.









I have a new tripod! I'm rather more inspired when I'm outdoors, apparently.