Sunday, March 2, 2014

Finished Project (!!!!): Simplicity 2594 Top


I am so sorry about how washed out some of these pics are. My camera is a dick and hates any and all lighting conditions. And me.
I apparently cut this top out a while ago, but I forgot about it until I was cleaning my sewing room on Friday, and found it all ready to go.  Since it was a perfect top for layering under cardigans (remember? one of the type of garments needed in my wardrobe brainstorm), I thought it'd be a good first project for my Sewcation.

Which took me the whole weekend to finish. *facepalm*

Here's the basics:
Pattern: Simplicity 2594, view E. 
Size: I cut size 16, two sizes smaller than my body measurements. This garment has 7 inches of ease.
Fabric: Lightweight 100% polyester I bought who the heck knows when.
Alterations: NO FBA!  So much ease.  It appears that I did draft out some of the drape in the back.  Thanks Past Heather, I appreciate that!


I made up this pattern a couple of years ago, in view B.  I still have that top, and while I do wear it now and then, it's not a go to top because the cowl annoys the living crap outta me.  But I like the loose fit of it, so I guess I thought view E would be a good choice.

I like the loose back, although I'm glad I took out some of the upper back fullness.  Not sure how bad the fabric-eating-armpits really are (stupid camera and it's hatred of all lighting conditions - even the low diffused light like above), but I don't really care.  It's comfortable with a high mobility range.

This pattern has some gorgeous details that I didn't notice as much in my black polkadot version. Like these gorgeous pleats at the front shoulder yoke.

And the back gathers below the yoke.  Which I totally should've put more effort into, but oh well.

I topstitched all of the seams, whether the instructions said to or not, because polyester will not hold a press at all.  Or not in my experience anyways.  The only exception was the neckline.  It's faced with a piece of interfaced self-fabric.  When I went to topstitch, I realized that I love the look of it without the stitches.  Not sure how it's going to hold up long term, but the understitching is holding for now.  We'll see how it handles repeated washings.

I french-seamed the side seams and did a pseudo-rolled hem at the bottom.  For the sleeve openings, I decided to attempt a hand-rolled seam (with visible stitches.  The first one, at the top, looks like crap.  I decided to run a line of machine stitches along one of the turning lines 1/8" from the edge.  Since the fabric is so thin, the stitches pulled too much, creating the horrible crinkling you can see above.  The bottom picture was done without the line of machine stitches, and it looks so much better.  Plus my handstitching improved with the practice.

I spent a very peaceful couple of hours this morning, lounging on the couch handsewing while the Boyfriend kept refilling my coffee.  :)

There's not a lot of shaping to this garment, and I probably should've taken out a bit of width around the waist (yes, even going down two sizes, this was a little too baggy).  But I like the looseness, especially since it's offset by the clingy nature of this very light polyester.

And of course, since this was meant to be a layering top, I'll be hiding all of those pretty details under my cardigans.  Hehe oops.


Well, I may just wear this top on it's own this summer, because it is awfully pretty!  Did I mention that I adore it?  So so comfortable (despite the staticy cling), and so so adorable.  Seriously, I need to find some really lightweight cotton to make some more.  Although I really do want figure out how the lengthen the sleeves without sewing a rectangle to them.  Don't like drop sleeves.

14 comments:

  1. That is a great little top - and the fabric is very cute! The pattern does not do the finished garment justice!

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    1. Thanks! The envelope is deceiving in many ways - not least of which is the apparent close fit when there's 7 INCHES OF EASE designed in. I've learned to ignore the envelope front and look at the line drawings (and pay close attention to the pattern pieces).

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  2. That's so pretty! The fabric is just gorgeous and I like the look of the top stitching on the yoke.

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    1. Thanks! Functionality and asthetics combined. :)

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  3. That top and the fabric are both cute.

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  4. I love it! The fabric, the yoke, the shoulders, the fit are adorable. Expect a blatant knockoff once again!

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    1. Haha! I wondered if you'd say that after your last post! And I sort of want to track down that Simplicity pattern to knock off your top too. :D

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  5. It's perfect. I think I shall add this to my summer wardrobe list :)

    I also made the little cowl version before and wear it all the time...but the cowl flips out all the time. Gah.

    Sorry your camera hates your life ;-)

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    1. Also, the print is absolutely beautiful. It's so soft and feminine but not fussy!

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    2. Thanks so much! I like my cowl version, but the flippiness of the cowl is what drives me bonkers! Sometimes it behaves, most of the time it doesn't. At least it's reassuring that it's not just one of us having problems with it?

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  6. Is this one of the things you were putting off sewing over the weekend?! It's so feminine and pretty. I love the print. It's so funny the way our tastes change. 5 years ago I would not be so drawn to a floral fabric. It was all stripes and functionality. Now it's still all about stripes, but I can also appreciate a really pretty floral. Also the slightly boxy shape is great. My daughter and I like that style of top, but are having trouble finding tops that fit that way. I suppose sewing your own is the answer. How long did it take you to whip this up?

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    1. I've always been drawn to floral prints, but I don't often wear them. But I have a tentative wardrobe plan in my head, and I want a few pops of prints for layering. I wasn't sure about this print until I finished the garment and put it on - it seemed too girly, but now I realize just how feminine it is (not girly at all).

      This top should've taken me 2-3 hours, and that long only because of the tricky lightweight fabric. Instead, it probably pushed toward 6 or 7 hours, because I was horribly distracted the entire time I made it. Had to resort to locking myself in my sewing room, just to get anything done! lol

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