I sewed something! A pink pieced summer top

I hate when people start posts by saying sorry about not updating for so long, - and now I'm about to do that myself  smacks forehead

Several reasons: + there's so much stuff to have fun with and so little time. + I haven't felt very bloggish (if that's a word). + I can no longer access Blogger at work (those Internet filters, tss). + And I suppose to some small degree I don't feel that this blog is being read. Probably coz there are hardly any comments - but at least I get to show my family the pictures of the stuff I made, so that's definitely worth it!

And now I made something I'm beyond proud of and really chuffed with. I did some dressmaking! Yay, yay, yay!  I can't even begin to say how happy that makes me. I keep thinking about and incessantly talking about making stuff to wear, something that's me, something that's fun and individual and stylish... and then I just don't. Setting expectations too high?  In any case that lack of follow-through is getting seriously on my nerves.

What happened was that earlier this week I had this sudden overwhelming urge to rush home and get stuck in to try and make a top, any top, in any fabric I've got, any pattern - as quickly as possible - to try and stoke that sewing mojo.

Boy did that work!  Okay, so it took me four days to really get started. Getting a phone call that ends up in a long chatty conversation isn't exactly conducive to a sewing blitz. Still, I did pick the fabric. And so pretty it is too!

I went to my trusty 'two-piece inclusive of sleeves' pattern (can't remember what the original commercial pattern was, I'll post once I find it again - I made this twice before: Grey damask top and Black and white linen tunic) and started today, intention: just cut out the back. I didn't stop there, I carried on!

I didn't have a lot of fabric so the front couldn't be cut in one piece. Thank goodness for my patchwork skills from making quilts: I pieced the front by slashing it both vertically and horizontally.

I inserted a strip at the waist and then I had to piece another strip for the centre front. It's a bit patchworky but I reckon that gives it its own charm.  I did baby seams for the neckline and sleeve hems, and I used a technique I saw on Google+ for the hem itself: using a longer stitch length sew a straight line along the bottom edge (my thread blends very well with the fabric).

This stitch line ends up as the turning "ridge" so it needs to be at that sort of distance from the edge.  I had already overlocked all my raw edges so I only turned up the hem once at that turning ridge stitchline and pressed, then I stitched it down about 1.5cm from that topstitched line.  You can use this for hems of very full skirts, like circular skirts.  Just adjust the topstitching tension to a little tighter and press the upturned fabric with plenty of steam to shrink it a bit.  I didn't do that here because my bottom edge is dead straight.

I really like that the top irons fantastically well.  It's just a shame that it is a bit short, but hey: it's for summer, so who cares.

I did it! I made a top in a day!*

I am so, so, so happy. Well done me.


(*: It was only in one day because I have the pattern cut out on lining paper (the stuff you use when wallpapering), and I know it fits due to adapting it between the two versions I made before. So one day from cutting out the fabric and not counting all the work you normally do to get to that stage)