A Garment A Week – Week 30 – 29/07/16

I have been super busy this week with work and creating some pretty cool costumes for the Intermediate School production coming up this term. It’s so much fun, I love being able to create different things completely unlike normal clothing. I have learnt quite a bit about sewing thick leather this week. I have permission from the School to share the things I’ve made on Facebook and on the blog – but – I’m gonna wait until after the show, so I don’t post any spoilers and hopefully I can get permission to show photos of the final outfits as I know some of them are being painted and roughed up!

Anyway – not offering excuses but, my garment this week is definitely lack lustre in comparison to the costumes!
I wear the vintage styled dresses to work that are made there, Feisty Needle (Hamilton NZ).  I usually, especially in this weather, wear a regular cardigan over them just to keep my arms warm.  I’d like to have a few different things I can wear too.

This is a cardigan like top. It’s cut from a really light weight knit fabric. The bottom is bias cut, I draped a pattern on my mannequin – which I am quickly learning is definitely shorter than me in it’s proportions! I was hoping the knit fabric would bunch up a bit more and look more draped but I guess it’s too stretchy.
The join between the top half and the lower draping is supposed to sit under the bust, but I patterned straight from the mannequin and didn’t check it against my block patterns (naughty I know but I was in a rush this week lol).
There is a small tuck under the bust instead of a dart and a few tucks at the top front bit of the draping to help with the shape.

To get the join in the right place on me I had to pull it down a bit, so the shoulder seams pull forward and out of place, but luckily the fabric is stretchy.
Joined in the front by a button and loop. The lower edges are rolled and stitched, the neckline is bound and turned under (invisible binding). The sleeves have small cuffs because the material was so stretchy, it was the only finish that held the sleeve without turning it into a bell sleeve!

I like the shape of the top but I need to work on the pattern more – the sleeve holes need lifting too they almost look like batwing sleeves.
When I have a week with a bit more time – watch out for this top 2.0 version