Blue Rose Top: Revisited

One thing I wanted to do this year was to try and refashion some of my handmade clothes that hadn't worked.  One of the main culprits is my Blue Rose top which I've only worn once.  I made it last spring using a rose print poplin.  Now I love floral fabric, especially if it has roses on it and doubly especially if it has blue roses on it.  I don't know why, but blue rose prints just make me beam with happiness!  Fabric this beautiful needs to be worn and shown off.  So I decided to make this top work.

The pattern was a vintage one - Advance 8589 - which looked so chic on the pattern envelope….  

I should have known better.  This is what didn't work: 

The drawstring

Although this is a lovely feature, it made me feel like I was pregnant, I'm just not comfortable with this amount of excess fabric around my waist!

The boxy shape

Yes I know, it has to be boxy in order for the drawstring to work, but this was almost wider than it was long!

The length

Far too short, making it wearable with only the very highest waistbands.

The one other thing that stopped me wearing this top originally was the neckline.  I hated the neckline, as I kept feeling I was choking to death.  However, since then, I've had thyroid surgery and it seems it was my thyroid that was the cause of my choky, strangling feeling.  Trying the top on again recently, the neckline didn't bother me at all, and is actually a lovely, elegant shape.  So the neckline stayed the same.

If I'm honest, I pretty much made this up as I went along, refashioning not being one of my strong points.  Once the drawstring was removed, the main priority was to give some shape to the boxiness.  

Front darts added, but still short and squat

TONS of excess fabric at the back

I moved the bust darts which were strangely high, (I hadn't even noticed this the first time around) and added contour darts to the front and back.  The only solution to the short length was to add an extra panel.  I added a three inch strip around the bottom, luckily, I think the busy rose print just about allows you to get away with it. 

In order to get the top on and off, I inserted an invisible zip right down the back.  

A bit wonky, but at least most of the bagginess has disappeared

As there was a bit of fabric left over, I made another 1950's style headband from the Chic on a Shoestring book.  

It's not quite as wide as my last one, and I think it looks better for it.  I even managed to attach a lovely vintage buckle which Miss P very kindly sent me.  

It was quite a rigmarole making this top fit, but I think it was worth it.  It's by no means perfect, but it's much more 'me' now, and at least it's wearable.  Not on its own at the moment though - it's currently FREEZING here in the UK.  

The lengths sewing bloggers will go to for a photo - you can almost see the goosebumps on my arms!

Because it's sleeveless it's perfect to wear underneath a cardigan.  There, much more suitable… 

Next up for a refashion - my Swing Dress - which needs a few tweaks.  Happy Wednesday everybody. x

MMJ: Days 15, 16, 17 and 18

I think four days of outfits is about the maximum anybody can stomach at any one time, so this post will take me up to two days ago.

Day 15

MMJ: Day 15

Top: Me-made from a 1950's pattern

Vest: Primark

Skirt: Me-made 1960's A-line skirt

Shoes: Clarks

Me-Made Category: Top, now a B, skirt B

I wish I could claim it was my own idea to wear these two me-made items together, sadly it wasn't, it was Roobeedoo's!  She was spot on though, as I love red and turquoise together, why didn't I think of it?!

Day 16

MMJ: Day 16

Top: Me-made from a 1930's pattern

Trousers: Me-made from Simplicity 3688

Shoes: Clarks

Me-Made Category: Top B, Trousers A

Still feeling in a turquoise mood, hence the top.  I did try the two turquoise items together but I looked like a nurse.

Day 17

MMJ: Day 17

Dress: Socialite dress

Belt: Anthropologie

Cardigan: Marks and Spencer

Shoes: Clarks

Me-Made Category: A

Strangely enough, I wore this dress a lot in the winter with tights and a cardigan. I was hoping to wear it in a summery way today but couldn't because a) my limbs were a similar hue to the actual dress - not a good look and b) weather conditions in the UK in June were positively wintery (!) so tights and cardigan it was.   

Day 18

Top: 1950's Blue Roses top

Trousers: Me-made from Simplicity 3688

Me-Made Category: C, never worn

...and with good reason.  Even though the fabric is gorgeous I'm really cross that I wasted it on this top as I hated wearing it and will probably never wear it again.  Reasons?  Too short, too drawstringy and the neck is still uncomfortably high.  The fabric is too pretty to cast aside though, so I think I can refashion it by lowering the neckline (again) and taking the casing out at the bottom to increase the length.  Grrr. I even look like I'm smiling through gritted teeth, which I was!

Apart from the blue rose top, these were a good few days - I do love wearing my handmade clothes.  Happy Monday. x

Blue Rose Drawstring Top

After my recent flutter with Japanese pattern books, I felt in need of an old fashioned pattern with instructions and lots of print on the pattern pieces.  My vintage patterns have been winking at me from their shelf for a few weeks, so I thought I’d sew one of them - meet Advance 8589.  

This is from 1958 and I made the straightforward sleeveless top on the right with the drawstring waist.  Lots of lovely detailed instructions (in English) and everything printed on the pattern pieces, even the seam allowances, hoorah. 

I made a muslin and decided it needed a few tiny tweaks:  I took the side seams in by half an inch and the bagging across the back needed taking in by three quarters of an inch.  I have this baggy back problem all the time because of my narrow back and it’s only recently that I’ve discovered a quick solution.  Previously I’d pinned a tuck right down the back, then laboriously flattened out the muslin and re-traced the new pattern piece etc etc.  After flicking through one of my favourite reads - Fit for Real People (which my husband thinks is hilarious because of the front cover), I discovered I could narrow the back width by simply placing the pattern centre back over the edge of the fold. The simplest discoveries make me so happy.  I also lengthened the blouse by an inch.

The neck seemed high, which I am not a fan of (see here for evidence) but because I hadn’t bothered incorporating the neck facing into the muslin (because I’m too lazy) I figured it would go slightly lower once the facing was in place. Wrong. I finished the blouse, but then whilst I was showing it off to my family I started feeling like I was being choked. Even when I took it off, I could still feel pressure round my neck (perhaps I have a weird strangling phobia?) So I carefully unpicked the centre front neck section and re-sewed it slightly lower.  Not much, as I think the style demands a high-ish neck, but just enough to stop me freaking out. 

 

The pattern is very simple and there’s a bit of clever trickery involving half turning the facings inside out, then taking out some basting stitches and cunningly turning them the right way round (or something like that).  Difficult to explain but it does make the inside look super neat doesn’t it?  

I used a printed poplin I picked up in a rare fabric sale at John Lewis.  This has a similar feel to a quilting cotton but is a lighter, silkier weight and doesn’t have the starched stiffness of quilting cotton.  I absolutely love the vintage rose print.

I do like the top (it was the top which drew me to the pattern rather than the suit) but I think it will take a while for me to get used to the drawstring style.  It reminds me of those maternity tops which tie with a drawstring under the bump!  I’m too used to most of my clothes being super fitted.  Worn with my ‘ever faithful, go with everything I own’ high waisted trousers though and I’m a bit more convinced.  

Magic trousers making my legs look 20 ft long (which they're not)

I’ve come to the conclusion that occasionally it’s good to sew something slightly out of your comfort zone.  I’ve got a feeling this top will grow on me…