Sunday 10 July 2016

Vintage Pledge Shoulder Tie Top

July is all about vintage at the moment as stitchers across the land get well and truly involved with the Vintage Pledge July Extravaganza. This has been organised by Vintage Pledge hosts, Marie and Kerry and includes daily guest bloggers, a month long #vpjuly daily photo prompt on Instagram and LOTS of prizes. You can read more about what they have in store throughout the month here.

I was delighted to be one of the guest bloggers and the summer top I made from a vintage pattern was featured on A Stitching Odyssey last week. I'm posting pictures and details on my blog again today, just in case you missed it!


The pattern I chose was Woman's Own 5003 - a mail order pattern from 1961. The pattern is for two different summer tops: a wrap top that can be made with or without sleeves or a boxy top with shoulder ties. By happy coincidence I bought the pattern from Vintage Pattern Pledge's Kerry when she was having a destash earlier this year!


Isn't the envelope illustration adorable?! It's one of the main reasons I bought the pattern. Both tops are quite timeless designs and I could easily see the two styles slotting seamlessly into my wardrobe. 

It took me an age to decide which of the two versions to sew as I was drawn to both, but in the end the decision was dictated by the fabric. I knew I wanted to use this beautiful Liberty lawn Lilac print that I picked up on a day out with Ashley earlier this year.


I absolutely love the colours, especially the contrast between the background red and the green leaves.  It was available in lots of different colours when I bought it, but only seems to be listed in grey/lilac now unfortunately. Actually I think Charlotte used the same fabric (in a different colourway) to make her dressing gown on the Great British Sewing Bee.

As we all know, Liberty lawn is ridiculously expensive, so I only bought a metre. It was only when I was inspecting the pattern that I realised a metre was never going to be enough to make the wrap/tie version, however skilfully I laid out those pieces. So the decision was made for me - the shoulder tie top it was.

This is a very straight forward top to sew: a simple sleeveless tank with bust darts, slightly shaped side seams and a cute, notched bottom edge. The blouse also has separate shoulder ties/bows.


The pattern was for a size 36 bust and the overall fit was pretty good. The only small changes I made were to lower the bust darts by an inch and add 1½" to the overall length. The instructions were brief, but perfectly clear and the whole top sewed together quickly. The necklines and armholes were given a lovely clean finish with an all-in-one facing - very satisfying! 


The shoulder ties are supposed to be threaded through buttonholes made in the shoulder facings. Sadly, my buttonholes foot isn't working at the moment, so I just knotted the bows around each shoulder instead - they seem to be working fine so far!

The blouse has more of a boxy shape than I'm used to, but I still really like it. My favourite part is the shoulder ties - they give an otherwise plain pattern a lovely vintage twist. I'd love to try the sleeveless wrap version too at some point. Overall it's a perfect little blouse for summer and is a great match with my sailor shorts!  


This blouse counts as the second part of my Vintage Pledge for 2016. My pledge was to sew two items from vintage patterns - one suitable for winter and one suitable for summer. The winter part was taken care of when I made my Topper coat, so this here blouse is the summer part!

Joining in with the #vpjuly daily photo prompts on Instagram has been enormous fun. The vintage themed photos posted so far have been truly inspirational and I've discovered some great new bloggers to follow. If you want to check out what I've been posting you can find me on Instagram here (@janemarland).

Have a wonderful week! x




22 comments:

  1. I love this. I did see it on A Stitching Odyssey but good to see it here too

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  2. Oh, Jane, I love this top! If I was not across the pond, I will steal it from you, or at least ask to borrow the pattern - LOL. The pairing of pattern, fabric and you is perfect.

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    1. Thank you! I just wish the sun would come out so I could wear it! x

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  3. I do so love yourtop, and the other view too. Would love to have both.

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    1. Yes I like the other view too, will definitely make that one too at some point! x

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  4. Perfect, perfect and tres chic!
    Ashley xxxxx
    PS Must email you and arrange our next outing... I'm fancying the Queens 90TH wardrobe exhibition? XX

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    1. Thanks Ashley, so glad you 'forced' me to buy it! I'm up for the Queen's wardrobe exhibition, sounds ace! X

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  5. I love this top!!I will be on the hunt for this Vintage pattern.Great fabric!

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    1. Thanks Linda! The pattern was a VERY lucky find! x

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  6. I love the understated elegance of this top. Incredibly effortless. The ties at the shoulder are the perfect feminine touch. And the fabric is swoon worthy!!

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    1. That's what I like about vintage patterns, the cut is understated but often has a real WOW factor to it! I wish I'd bought more of the fabric now, they had it in a peacock blue which was gorgeous! x

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  7. That looks so cute, I love it. Gorgeous fabric too.

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  8. Love your top. The fabric is lovely and the shoulder ties are cute.

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    1. Thank you, I like e shoulder ties too! x

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  9. This is such a cute summery top! It looks great on you!

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  10. It's a darling top, and it looks great on you. Don't worry, it is summertime; you will get the chance to wear it!

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