Three TNT Tops

I recently made up three knit tops over a weekend.  I had pulled the fabrics out and had them sitting on the work table while I admired them and tried to decide what they wanted to be.  One I had purchased several years ago, one purchased last summer and the last purchased just about a month ago.  I love each for its striking and unique look.

I often get on myself for not using and expressing more creativity in my sewing, whether that be by redesigning and changing up how I use my TNT (Tried and True) patterns, or by experimenting more with combining fabrics, or by working more with fabric manipulation/embellishment.  I feel often like I'm copping out or not pushing myself enough in my sewing.  Especially when I read others' blogs and am so impressed with their creativity in what they do.

But then, sometimes, I look at a fabric and just want to let its beauty sing on its own in a simple design that I know will work and I will love wearing.

These photos aren't the best at showing the details of the garments (they kind of just look like blobs of fabric), but they do show the fabrics.  And you've seen other versions of these patterns made by both myself and others in the sewing world.

I believe I got this first fabric several years ago from Marcy Tilton.  I'm not positive, because I couldn't find an entry for it in my record book, but I'm pretty sure it was MT.  I used the StyleArc Adele Top pattern for this one because I thought the angles of the pattern went well with the angles of the fabric.

This is a nice lightweight rayon knit that should work well going into early summer, even with long sleeves.  I love the rough raw-edge feel to the lines in the fabric.  (please try to ignore the wobbly-looking hem--it's not that bad in real life)

Next up was a gorgeous rayon/lycra knit that I got from EmmaOneSock last July.  It's kind of a spotty stripe print in black, gray and white.  For the pattern, I used Vogue 8582 (now OOP), the Marcy Tilton designed knit top with the side drape.

I use this pattern a lot because it fits nicely through the shoulders and upper torso, but has an easy loose fit elsewhere that makes it extremely comfortable to wear.  I'm sure I'll be using it again soon with the sleeves shortened for a couple summer tops.

Finally, there was this more recent acquisition--a rayon/lycra knit print from Sawyer Brook.  As soon as I saw this fabric come up on their website, I knew I had to have some.  I just love the African theme of the print and the colors that were used.  I also knew pretty much right away that it wanted to be another Sewing Workshop Liberty top.  (and that one figure's head does not actually land right on my boob when I'm wearing the shirt, it just looks that way on the dress form)

I apologize if you all are getting completely bored with how often I make this pattern, but I just can't resist.  You know when people ask that question:  If you were marooned on a desert island with a sewing machine and all the fabric/notions you could desire, what would be the top 10 patterns you would want to have with you?  Well, the SW Liberty Shirt would be number 1 on my list.  And I'm fairly positive this pattern also will be showing up a couple of times in my summer sewing.

And so I go on, torn between the thought that I should be more creative in using and applying the sewing skills I know I have and the knowledge that sometimes it's good to let the uniqueness of the fabric and patterns speak for themselves.  Where do you fall on this continuum?

Last weekend I went through the majority of my fabric collection, reorganizing and culling some of the (to me) dead weight.  I now have five big black trash bags of fabric in the trunk of the car waiting to go to the thrift shop.  I still have A LOT of fabric, but I feel better about what I have and it's all up off the floor and on the shelving units (yes "units" plural).  I still have to go through the sewing closet before I'm finished, but I am a bit rejuvenated and ready to sew.  Sewing so far this weekend has been a little boring--I made two pair of black pants from my TNT pattern to replace two pair in the closet that have become pretty worn out.  I used a cotton/lycra sateen for one and a 100% linen for the other, both fabrics very nice and found at JoAnn's, surprisingly enough.  I always try to have several pairs of basic black pants in my closet as they are my go to garment for my bottom half.

My other project for this weekend is to finish up the last of my late winter projects.  I'm working on Vogue 1347, the Chado Ralph Rucci shirt/jacket.  It's been sitting on the work table half-completed for two weeks now and I want to get it done.

We've finally had a few sunny and relatively warm days here in my neck of Montana, so I'm finally starting to think about summer sewing.  I've pulled the stack of fabrics I want to work with for summer and I've been thinking about joining the Stitchers' Guild Summer 6-PAC sew-a-long.  Warm weather clothes are not my favorite to sew, so I need all the incentive and cheering on that I can get!

Finally, on my last post, Martha asked about faille.  There are several descriptions of faille at TextileGlossary.com.  Essentially, faille is known by its kind of ribbed texture created by differing weights of the fibers used in the warp and weft of the fabric.  Faille comes in all types of fiber content; I currently have pieces of faille in both silk and cotton, and I have seen it also in both polyester and acetate.  As far as drapiness, in my experience that can vary quite a bit.  I have always washed any piece of faille I've acquired (because I wash virtually everything in my collection before it goes on the shelves, except a few special pieces of wool or silk), and I've had some become very drapey and some not.  The drape of the fabric also can depend on the fiber content and the thickness of the warp/weft fibers used.  The cotton and poly blend faille I used in my skirt clearly had a nice drape to it that lent itself well to the tucks and volume of that pattern.  Other failles I have encountered have a much more stiff hand to them.

I have a large hunk of black cotton faille I got a while back from FabricMart.  I purchased this piece because I needed to make a couple of art garments and I was hoping the fabric would discharge well.  Nicely, upon applying a bleach/water discharge, the fabric became a lovely rust which then moved toward a lighter salmon/pink color.  I shall have to take some photos of the vests I made with this fabric and write up a post on it soon.

One Last Vogue 1261 (maybe . . . )

After whipping up four versions of my Vogue 1261/SA Adele morph top in one weekend, I thought I should put the pattern away for awhile.  The other day, however, I was in JoAnns Fabrics to get buttons for another project and realized the red tag clearance section was an additional 50 percent off.  So I took a little look-see through the clearance racks, not really expecting to find anything.  Lo and behold, a bolt of kinda cool knit surfaced.  It is a double layer poly knit--gray opaque layered over a black sheer, then the gray is slashed to show the black.  The gray also is printed with a design of concentric circles.  I couldn't resist, so 2 yards came home with me.  The fabric went straight into the washer and dryer with the length of flannel I also bought (for new pajama pants).  As I pulled the knit out of the dryer and began to fold it up, it started telling me loudly that it wanted to be a Vogue 1261 tunic.  By the next day, I had granted its wish.  I'm really enjoying these tunic tops and think I will get a lot of use out of this one.  The black sections are sheer, so I will need to wear another top or tank underneath.

It's not often that a piece of fabric goes into and out of the collection with a 24-hour turn around time!!

I also wanted to thank all those who commented on my last post about these tops.  I really appreciate the positive support!

Vogue 1261 (sort of)

When Vogue Patterns issued pattern 1261 (was it last winter?), I just had to have it.  It seemed right up my alley, stylewise.  I especially loved the views showing the seams stitched to the outside as a design element.  And I knew I had the perfect textured wool knit from FabricMart in my stash.

While dreaming of the fabulous tops I could make with this pattern, in the back of my mind was that little voice which said "Marcy, you only love the concept of this pattern, and its 'look,' and you know full well it isn't going to work for you."  The little voice said this because one pattern view was raglan sleeve, which never works for me, another view had dolman sleeves, which just adds extra pounds to my look that I don't need, and the third view (which seemed most likely to maybe work for me) appeared from the pattern photo to have too-wide shoulders and droopy armpits which translated to a lot of alterations to get a good result.  Of course, I ordered the pattern anyway.  Quick muslins of both views A and B proved my little voice correct and I just didn't have the wherewithal at the time to do the needed alterations.  I tossed the pattern over in the corner of the cutting table, where it has mocked me for the last year.

Fast forward to about a week and a half ago when I was doing a semi-marathon tracing session of some StyleArc patterns I recently received.  I was using my tracings of the Adele Top to analyze the potential fit of a couple of new SA top patterns because I just love the way the Adele fits through the shoulders, upper torso and armscye.  Suddenly, my little voice chirped up again (in a more helpful, less irritating way than usual) and said "you can use this pattern with that Vogue pattern to achieve what you want."  I pulled out my earlier tracings for view B of the Vogue top, laid them down over the Adele pattern pieces and re-traced the Adele shoulder/armscye portion gradually morphing into the original side seams of the Vogue.  Then I pulled out a gray and black tie-dye print rayon/lycra knit from Fabric.com to test my new Frankenstein ("it's pronounced Franken-STEEN").  I loved the result and the fit was much better:

My Guy was a real help during the photo shoot of this garment, as you can see by the uncropped version of the picture:  (any guesses as to his favorite part of the female figure?)

I then proceeded to go a little crazy, making up three more versions over that weekend.  Next was a version with a collar in a black with white spotted rayon/lycra from Marcy Tilton:

Then another version with a plain neck in a fabulous swirly print rayon/lycra from EmmaOneSock:

Finally, I pulled out that textured wool knit from FabricMart which I had always envisioned in this pattern.  I added center front and back seams and stitched those, as well as the shoulder/armscye seams, to the outside.  I also turned the sleeve hems to the outside and stitched the neck binding on in the reverse.  I think this treatment will look even more effective once I wet the garment and run it through the dryer.

I stitched 3/8 inch away from the lower edge, instead of a regular hem.  Hopefully, this will help keep the edge from stretching out of shape.

I really had to be careful with the cutting process to make sure all the exposed edges were smooth and even.

The above photo shows the sleeve hem and a better visual of the fabric's texture.  The sleeve hem was turned to the outside, stitched at about 1/2 inch, and then the extra hem allowance was pressed down.  I am hoping that, over time, the exposed edges will curl more than just sit flat.  The knit fabric had a smooth knit surface on one side, with a texture on the reverse--I used the textured side as the "right" side.  This photo also shows the closest to accurate color of the fabric--kind of a dark taupe, but with green overtones.

I am now really happy with this pattern and expect that it will become a regular in the TNT rotation.

(**worthless bonus points to anyone who knows the movie from which I quoted above--although I'm not sure I have the quote exactly correct)

 

Dipping My Toes in the StyleArc Pool

So, I've spent a lot of time recently observing the fabulous garments being made by others in the internet sewing world using patterns from the Australian company StyleArc.  After reading so many comments and blog posts touting the superior fit and style of these patterns, I decided I must give them a try.  First up on the block was the Adele Top, a basic-looking knit top with an asymmetrical hemline and side slit.  Per the sizing guide on the StyleArc website, I ordered a size 18, based on my bust measurement.  After some flat pattern measuring and comparison to another TNT knit top pattern, I decided not to do any alteration to the bodice front or back so that I could test the general fit and draft of the pattern as designed.  This comparison clearly showed, however, that the sleeve was much too narrow for my hefty arms.  I traced the pattern and did a simple slash and spread alteration to the sleeve to achieve the width through the bicep area that I needed.  A side result of this alteration was that it significantly flattened the sleeve cap, so I added back some height to the cap, double checked the armscye measurement and decided it didn't change the length of the armscye to a degree which couldn't still be easily eased in, especially considering I would be using a knit for this garment.  Here is the sleeve pattern with my alterations.  (It's not really purty, but it gets the job done.)

For my test garment, I selected a black and camel poly ITY knit from Fabric.com that I wasn't so in love with that it would bother me if it turned into a wadder.  I was very pleased with the result.  The fit through the body of the top was near perfect, the shoulders were a good width (I often have to narrow the shoulder line of tops), it didn't look like I needed to do a FBA, and my sleeve alteration seemed to have worked well.  The only issue I had was one that a number of others who have made this pattern observed as well--the top is a little too long.  I thought it would be more flattering if shortened a bit (and this is from someone who loves herself a good tunic top!), so for the second iteration, I folded out about 2-1/4 inches in length between the top of the side slit and the bottom of the armscye.  Here's the test garment:

Oh, just remembered that I also nixed the neckline method set out in the instructions and opted for my standard bound neckline.

Now happy with the fit of the pattern, I selected a lovely rayon/lycra knit I recently acquired from EmmaOneSock for the real deal:

I love it!  I wore this top to work a couple days ago and it completely passed the wearability test.  I may have to try another one with short sleeves for summer.

Today starts the Memorial Day holiday weekend, so I have three days in which I hope to get a lot of sewing done.  Summer supposedly is coming soon (although we have been having a lot of rain, and even snow, during the last week or more) and I always have a difficult time figuring out what to wear during the warmer months.  I just am not a summer person when it comes to clothes.  Give me wool weather any day!  As a result, my summer wardrobe is severely lacking and I need to crank out a few lighter weight basics to get me started.  Hopefully included in there will be a try at another StyleArc pattern.  Most likely the Peta Pants.