Me-Made Item: Top (self-drafted pattern)
Link to Original Review: N/A
Jeans: Michael Kors
Sandals: Marc Fisher
Wearability Report:
I never got around to blogging about this top when I made it two years ago! This top was based off of my learnings from Cal Patch’s book Design-It-Yourself Clothes that I received as a birthday gift that year (along with the mega-huge Patternmaking for Fashion Design). For the longest time I’ve wanted to learn how to draft my own sewing patterns and I felt completely confident using Cal’s book to draft my first bodice sloper and modify it with my own design elements. That other patternmaking book? It’s intimidating to say the least…plus, it’s a text book. I’ve cracked it open and looked at certain slash-and-spread techniques, but the measurements that are required to make a basic bodice block from this book are mind-boggling. Design-It-Yourself Clothes isn’t as intense and is a good starter book for initially jumping into pattern drafting. Anyway…
Love, love, love this top. I reach for it all the time in my closet and I’m so happy with the fit and how it turned out. Just in case you’re curious, all I did to modify it from my original sloper was spreading the bodice wider to add in some ease and allow it to gather, scooped out more of the neckline, and slash-and-spread the sleeves to make them slightly gathered. I then added a casing for the elastic at the bottom of the sleeves and a neckband casing for the self-fabric drawstring. The bottom edge is left raw since it doesn’t curl up and I liked the look of it.
The sleeves can be a little fussy and bunch up slightly underneath my armpit, plus I don’t think I got where the sleeve seam lays accurate – looks like it should be higher up on my shoulder. But the top is slightly fitted at the bust and loose at the bottom, making it a great, comfy top for relaxing on the weekends. I think I need more separates like this in my closet since they’re more versatile to wear than the dresses that I always seem to sew.
