So, as part of No New Clothes, I was trying to use up some old fabric I had stashed away in the cupboard. This one is about 15 to 20 years old, so I have no idea where/when I bought it. However, until I started cutting it out I didn’t realise that it was basically sheer. I hate sheer fraying polyesters!
After very careful measuring, remembering my last effort with this pattern, I decided to be brave and go down 2 sizes to a 14. I knew there should be plenty of room in the bust with the fold/pleats around the neckline, however I again copied the previous alteration of the upper bust line going down one inch. It took me an afternoon to re-trace and adjust the pattern, a second afternoon to cut it out and a couple of sessions of sewing to complete the top.
You can see the inch added here to front and back pieces, I redrew the darts along the top edge also.
And here is the finished product! Please excuse the terribly unflattering photos taken by my 16yo son, who really REALLY would rather have been doing something else, and boy does it show!
Oh, and here is also the grand reveal of my new hair colour! A dramatic cherry red, chosen by my hairdresser and seconded by me. It looks fantastic!
My very first ever invisible zip. It looks a lot better than this photo shows, DS didn’t notice it needed to be straightened. The horizontal seams don’t quite meet up, but I will improve with practice I’m sure.
As this photo shows, the fit around the armhole and bust is much improved. Please excuse my enormous big arms. It’s the camera angle, honest! I bound the neckline and armholes with bias binding, as the slippery fraying fabric was just too hard to corral through the machine for a fabric facing. It actually came out really well doing it this way, and I’ll definitely be doing it again. I did cut out sleeves, but after I tried it on sleeveless, it just seemed too perfect for the fabric/style, so they never got added.
And finally, I couldn’t resist showing my new denim jacket from the op shop again. Perfect for layering!
So, the final conclusion? I’m not 100% happy with the fit this time either, it feels a little skimpy. I ended up sewing the side seams at 1cm instead of 1.5cm. I think that I will try it again, one size up. I have some lightweight cotton fabrics in the cupboard that hopefully will be large enough. This is a cute pattern, but the bias cut “skirt” pieces are greedy and waste a lot of fabric. I might see if I can find a similar style pattern that doesn’t do that. Meanwhile, I still think that this will get a bit of wear when the weather finally warms up!!
Please be aware that there may be affiliate links in this content. Your support allows me to keep creating for you!
Leave a Reply