22.8.19

Stylearc Mimi Top

On a recent holiday to Melbourne, I had 10 minutes to duck into Tessuti whilst my family bought treats from the nearby Lune Croissanterie.  I'm not in a stash building phase, so I picked just one beautiful silk fabric to sew up straight away.  I'm not sure what this colour is even called, but I am seeing it everywhere at the moment (Pantone 2030 seems close, but it doesn't give it a name).  


In keeping with my "sew-not-stash" desire, I chose a simple pattern, the Stylearc Mimi woven top.  The feature of this top is the sleeves.




The sleeve gathering is a little unusual.  First, as series of tucks are sewn.


I changed the order of construction and finished the hems with a rolled hem on the overlocker after the tucks were sewn.  Most of this top was constructed on the overlocker.


Then rows of shirring were sewn over the tucks.  I chose to use the shirring method of zig-zagging over the shirring elastic and then pulling it to the desired amount of gathering, before knotting the ends of the elastic together.



The final result.  If I sew this top again, I will probably sew a few extra tucks, because I would like the sleeves to be a smidge tighter.


Because I hemmed the sleeve before sewing the sleeve seams, I decided to french seam the few cm near the hem.  Looking back, I'm not sure why I didn't just french seam the whole seam??


 We had a few warmer days this week, so I was able to wear it out.  I'm not coping too well in this cooler climate and can't wait for summer, so I can wear all my favourite clothes again.  I'm thinking that green shorts or pants to match the green in this fabric might be a good addition to my summer wardrobe.  It is an unusual green, but also seems very current, so I will be on the lookout for fabric.  Let me know if you see any this colour!




6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is such a pretty top. I love the colour! My daughter found that green in a 8m length of knit at the op shop yesterday. That is not much use to you I know but it is a lovely shade and I am keen to make it up. Andrea (fabricepiphanies)

Tropical Threads said...

I love that colour, especially with the green scarf. The style of the top is gorgeous too. I've been admiring all the full sleeves that are in fashion at the moment. Lots of work in the gathering of your sleeve, but it looks beautiful.

Sue said...

Love your new top - fabric and style!

katherine h said...

Thanks Sue!

katherine h said...

Hi Tropical Threads, It took me a while to come round to the fashion of fuller sleeves, but now I am loving them.

katherine h said...

Thanks Andrea! 8m is a fair amount...you'll be able to sew something for everybody. Family photo opportunity?