FINISHED! Boardwalk Jersey: Square, cut and sewn

I wasn't going to let a little fall onto my back stop me for too long before I got some in situ shots of my new top.  I went to work today, but got home with just a teensy bit of sun - just enoughfor a few photos.

I know you are sick of me talking about this top, but it is number 6/11 Square, Cut and Sewn from She has a Mannish Style. One of my favourite Japanese pattern books and certainly the one with the best name!

I used the fabric Boardwalk Jersey that I purchased on my recent trip to Tessuti.  I only bought around a metre (or maybe 1.20) for this top, so as mentioned before, I couldn't do a repeat with the pattern which is around 90cm, so improvised.  The back doesn't at all match the front, although I tried where possible to match some lines. I think it works better like this. It adds so much more interest to the pattern than what I think would have been there with just a two stripe match.



Sadly I didn't have enough to do the binding piece on the bottom, which (as it is interfaced like the collar) would have added a bit more weight to the bottom.

I don't think it is a big problem, but it would certainly have been neater than my twin needle seam.

The other thing, is that in hindsight, I could have moved the buttons just a fraction of an inch to either side to prevent the back rising up and making me look like a hunchback... although that probably has something to do with the fact that I am standing like a hunchback :(

The 'sleeves' are quite loose but again that is the style in the pattern photo. Maybe these could be tightened up a little for next time, but really, these are minor things. The top is lovely and 'swingy' to wear and the buttons across the shoulder add the cutest detail, that, unless you swing around, sit nice and flat.  This top will be perfect for the warm weather (in about 3 months time :))

   

Boardwalk Jersey, a sneak peek

On Tuesday morning, I put the kettle on for a cup of tea, looked out to the yard and thought "I'll just go out and pick up some of the toys on the lawn while I'm waiting".  I walked out in my ugg boots stepped down the back deck steps (there are only 2 thank goodness) and slipped on the ice and landed on the corner of the step, on my arse.  No hands. Lucky probably, because the last time I used my hand to save my arse I broke my wrist.  Mmm. So now, cultivating a pretty good bruise and very very sore, I've taken it easy for a couple of days at home.  I have been doing a tiny bit of sewing, with difficulty and not very much of it, but I managed to finish the Square, Cut and Sewn top from 'She as Mannish Style" I started on Monday night.

I'll do some better 'in situ' shots when I can, because this top deserves it.  It is one great top!!  Just wait til you see it on.

Boardwalk Jersey, a plan

Yesterday I had a moment of clarity for my Boardwalk jersey: this top from 'She has a mannish style'.  Sometimes I forget that I have a shelf full of Japanese pattern books but I remembered. I do love this book, and I have made so many things from it.

Yes! So I think this tee is a winner - in the photo at least.  It is a good shape, interesting with all those buttons and a fun pattern to cut out.

I'm going to be a little bit unfaithful to my other project and do a bit of pattern tracing tonight.

The only problem is that, due to the long fabric repeat (about 90cms I think) I won't be able to perfectly match up the sides as I didn't buy enough ... this will call for a bit of creative placement of stripes.  A design feature!

A quick trip to Tessuti

I'm just  home from 3 nights in Sydney. It's so much warmer there!

We went up primarily to see The Maids, but also saw family and friends and this morning played tourist and went to the top of Sydney Tower (it will always be Centrepoint to me).  I had a vague plan that I might have finished my Richard, Lyla and Mathilde blouse before we went but I had a lot of non sewing nights last week so it remained sleeveless and buttonless at home.

My sister did the Ponti Pants course at Tessuti yesterday afternoon so I very happily joined her for a little shop prior to her starting the course.  She raved about the course by the way and now I wish I’d done it too. 

After happily proclaiming the other day that I don't have many projects on the go and only a small stash, I can now confess to having a cupboard full of sewing hours.

Here are my purchases.

First up, A Valentino spotted silk satin organza,  that I just kept returning to again and again in the shop.  In the end, despite it being an expensive per metre purchase I only bought a metre for a top. I know! What am I going to do with this!??! I bought it with a simple Grainline Scout tee in mind - perhaps with a slight variation in the sleeves. But is this even possible in this fabric?? Eeek. I’m a bit scared to do anything with it...

Against my better sewing judgement I bought this knit. Because it is cool and I can see me wearing it. I just have to sew it! I have this idea of a boat top neck with tightish arms - maybe bat wings and a bit of a swing.  So I will be keeping my eyes open for such a pattern or else I will have to risk going off piste and draft something or maybe I will just do the 'made by wendy' boat tee.

   

Of course a bit of Liberty, this time L’Estrange from AW 12/13.  Have you seen Paunnet’s version of Gerite’s sailorblouse?  It is so gorgeous that I immediately bought the creative bug lesson and wonder if this fabric might not be super cute as that pattern.

My sister found this little gem a few days before which she gifted me, so perhaps with this I might jump on the Vogue 1250 bandwagon.. or maybe a skirt.  Anyone know any good ponti skirt pattern?

Finally, I also bought some German stiff Navy Twill, which I didn't photograph, but I will make into the Sinbad and Sailor O'Keefe skirt. I love the feel of this fabric so it might also become other things, but I’ll start with the O’Keefe skirt.

So there are the new additions to the project files. There is a bit of a trend in the colour isn't there. Anyway, I shouldn't need to do any fabric shopping for quite some time.... the project list is now back to a very healthy size.  Well it's not often I get to go to Tessuti, so I needed to make the most of it.

Mid winter cleaning and a project

In a bit of mid winter sewing cleaning I've been trying to tidy things up here at Top Notch. I've now added a button to my side bar so you can see all the things I've made.  I'm still cataloguing some of the past makes but its on it's way.

The other bit of mid winter cleaning I've been doing, is to fix up my list of sewing plans. It was becoming a mess and was difficult for me to see what was going on.

I've also been thinking about a few things over the past couple of weeks:

1. I love to buy patterns (obviosly, just check out all the ones I've bought recently) but
2. I'm only excited about making a pattern if I have absolutely the right fabric, otherwise I'm just not that excited or into making it and
3.  Like Morgan over at Crab and Bee I'm most excited when I buy fabric for a specific purpose and it is hot out of the fabric shop.  For me, it's the old law of diminishing returns. The longer it's been in the stash, the less exciting it is.

So with that in mind I had a long hard look at my stash and was happy to find that I don't really have a lot of it.  Well, I have a lot of left over fabrics of various sizes, lots of scraps, boxes of it really, from finished projects. But not a whole lot of good meterage. I'm talking fabric of a metre or more.  There is very little in there that I could make a top out of..A zipper purse yes, but not a top.

Apart from the denim that I bought a load of and used a little bit of for my Miette, I really only have two other usable* pieces in the cupboard. One I bought just last week at the Addicted to Fabric sale and the other, Richard and Lyla from the Spring Summer 2013 Liberty Art Fabrics collection,  I bought earlier in the year.

My plan is to keep it this way and have only a minimum of projects on the go and fabric in the stash.

So, to justify what I hope to be some lovely purchases at Tessuti on Saturday (yay to a trip to Sydney), perhaps for some of these patterns .. I've started on a project to use up my Richard and Lyla  fabric.

When I bought the fabric earlier in the year, I thought it might be a fun Archer, but then I realised it might be a bit over the top, so it is now on it's way to becoming my second Mathilde. (As an aside the Mathilde is such a nice pattern that one day I should sew it up in plain fabric that shows off the pintucks).

Sewing this yesterday when it was rainy and foggy felt so weather inappropriate but it did make me dream of summer holidays. The weather isn't quite right for this just yet, but when the rays of sun poke through I'll be ready! Just the buttons and the sleeves to go.

*ok so there are a few metres of fabric in there that I will never use - they are on the top shelf at the back and I need to think about doing a giveaway or something with them....