Good morning! At last, I have something made from scratch that’s K-sized to share — it was getting to the point where even K was starting to wonder when I was going to make clothes for her again. Oh, I shouldn’t forget to mention that K made that necklace with fake pearl buttons and a bell, and is so very pleased. I think she might be starting a trend.
A bonafide Monday Outfit this week: I wanted to sew from this knits-based book, and I was specifically looking for an A-line tank. It would have been easy to draft, but I don’t know — there’s something about the way the Japanese patterns are drafted that makes the fit perfect for K. I love that this book concentrates on stretchy fabric, but I haven’t used it much for some reason. I had somehow completely bypassed this spread in previous perusals and was excited to see the exact style I was looking for:
Those bloomers didn’t appeal to me, and I guess I didn’t notice the cute combo on the right. The pocket placements aren’t my thing so that might be another reason I glossed over it. I’m picky, picky, picky…
I hunted for some summer-y fabric, and then stumbled upon a small remnant of the denim knit that I’ve used time and time again. I thought I’d used up every possible inch, but hallelujah, not the case! I didn’t have quite enough though, and then found a scrap of much loved stripes. An accidental color-block tank was born, and I want one for myself.
I also traced and cut out the shorts pattern, but wasn’t feeling any of the fabrics from my now limited jersey knits supply, and turned to wovens. This is a Moda linen-blend fabric called “Mochi” in chartreuse, the color of matcha tea. It’s such a shot of happy, don’t you think?
For the second time (only because being the habitual creature that I am, I keep forgetting to use the method), I inserted the neck band flat a la Andrea of Four Square Walls whose mastery of knits is so impressive, and it looks fantastic. M couldn’t quite understand why I was so excited about a neckband, but that’s husbands for you. I bound my armholes my normal way, just because I like the look better for armholes. Here’s a random close-up of the stripey knit portion:
I can’t overstate how much I love this top. I’m not sure that the textures are coming across onscreen, but I think it looks extremely high-end and stylish in person. The way it swings and fits on K…sigh. I wish clothes would fit on me like that.
K concurred that the top is smashing, but she’s not into the shorts. Nope. Something about not liking shorts that look like skirts…
Still, she wore the outfit for the rest of the day without complaints, so the shorts must not be too bad. She did, however, insist on wearing them low on her hips gangsta style. As an aside, lately, K is having more and more trouble figuring out the front and back of the garments I make, so I’ve started stitching in little strips of ribbon to indicate the back:
I have yards and yards of pretty linen ribbons and they come in handy.
Even though K is less than thrilled with the shorts, this might be one of my favorite summer outfits. She seems to be warming up to it too…
P.S. I was playing with my camera setting and was trying for a dreamy quality. Some might argue they’re all just blurry, and okay, that point might have some legitimacy…