August 18, 2014

So This is Love


I made a shirt.  I'm pretty proud of the finished product too.  I really wanted a loose tunic to wear over yoga pants (for the days I don't want to shave and therefore I can't wear a skirt).  We just had a heat wave and hopefully it's the only one of the year.  But living here the last two summers I've noticed there's one heat wave that's two weeks long and it's always in August.



This heat wave was in July, and lasted maybe 10 days with a few rainy/muggy days thrown in.  Because this is different than what I've assumed is the norm, I'm preparing for the worst- another heat wave.  It's impossible to wear jeans in a heat wave, they get so heavy and hot.  Skirts are nice, but ya know, I hate shaving more than once a week (underarms are the exception!).  



The only problem with wearing yoga pants is I only have one shirt that is long or tunic length and cool enough for summer.  I have no problem showing my rear end most days (I have the best one in our family ;-) true story) but I prefer to wear looser, longer shirts with yoga pants unless I'm exercising.  



Since I had an obvious lack of shirts I deemed long enough, it just seemed appropriate to make one.  So I did!  Hehe.  I used Megan Nielsen's Crescent Blouse pattern with the curved hum tunic option.  I made it over three nights, maybe working on it a couple hours each night.  It was an easy sew, but there's a lot of ironing involved.  Because of the thin/flowy fabrics recommended for this pattern, there are no raw edges, which means either you're binding with bias tape or making french seams.  



The curved hem option wraps the back part around the front, making a cute little detail.  Ignore my facial expression here, I'm still getting used to using the timer on my camera.  That combined with the window to my right makes for some interesting photos.  



The above picture probably is the most accurate depiction of the actual color of my shirt.  It's a bright, springy green- it almost looks neon in the sunlight.  I got the fabric from Wal-Mart yeeeeears ago intending to use it as a lining for one of my nieces easter dresses.  I ended up making something different that didn't require a lining so it's been sitting in my stash for all those years.  I think it's a blend of some kind.  I say this because I used a higher heat setting instead of using the synthetic setting on my iron.  I was determined to get good creases.  I kept adjusting the heat higher and higher, testing a scrap of fabric and watching for melting.  It never happened, so while there maybe some polyester in this fabric, I'm convinced it must be a small amount.



I like the way it turned out, but there's definitely some things I would change next time I make this.  The pattern says the seam attaching the bottom pieces should be at your natural waist.  As you can see above, the seam is about an inch and a half to two inches below my waist.  I think I would raise that, but I would need to adjust the tunic pieces then because I wouldn't want to loose length.  In fact, I would like it longer!  Changing the neckline to be slightly lower is another thing I'm thinking about for next time.



Ooh! You guys!  I did my first baby hem.  The pattern says it's a rolled hem, and it's only 1/8 of an inch, but it still seems bigger than what I've always imagined a rolled hem to be.  But I'm so dang proud of myself for such a small hem on a curve.



I chose these metal buttons from my button collection.  I had three different buttons I was looking at, but these ones were pretty much perfect for the casual top I wanted this to be.  As you can see, I need to re-think where I start my top stitching to hide my (messy) backstitching better next time.  It's not too bad, but now I know under the button at the top of the strap would be better.



This is a much needed garment in my wardrobe.  Loose and cool and easy to wear.  And I love the shoulder cut-outs- you hardly feel the weight of the shirt the way they're placed and they're so cute!  I have to wear an undershirt because the material is so thin, but that's no biggy.  I actually wore this outfit to go run my errands.  It felt wonderful, letting the breeze in and feeling like I was wearing the least amount of clothing possible while still being decent.  Better yet, it doesn't even look like I'm wearing the least amount of clothes possible!  I seriously need to make another one, maybe the other tunic option this time...

2 comments:

  1. Such a great color! I need another one of these...

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    Replies
    1. You should, if only because I love your photos! :-D

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