Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Practice run V1247



This is a trial run of the Rachel Comey Vogue 1247 pattern. I think I bit off more than I could chew with this one considering this was my first dabble into top making. Ridiculously slippery synthetic chiffon fabric, multiple converging french seams, first time working with material cut on bias, learning to do a rolled hem with said fabric were a few of the challenges I was faced with whilst completing this top. Nothing like aiming high...and then realising I'm way in over my depth. Thankfully this was a trial as I have some pretty lovely royal blue crepe de chine I want to use on this pattern and had some common sense to practice on something not so expensive.

Firstly, the inspiration for making this top lies particularly with the following versions created by a number of talented lasses:
- handmadebycarolyn
- sallieoh
- upsewlate
- mycatsew

The good:
- I really liked creating the french seams allowing for a nice neat finish
- For the real thing I'll be increasing the length a couple of inches as it's
sides sit a little too high on my hips. I cut out the size 12 and feel that the
overall size is good, other than the length at the hips.



The bad:
- It's obvious, the seams at the mega junction in the middle of the top don't
meet precisely. I'll need to do a few practice runs before committing
to my nice material

- completing the hem was a real pain, i kept unpicking it as I just couldn't get
it neat with such slippery material. The sides hem at each hip need to be
fixed up...still.

- I quite like the front view of this top, but when I turn to the side I look like
a wine barrel wearing a blue spotty top, so not that flattering - I'll be
reading up for some advice on how to improve the aesthetic from this angle -
perhaps a couple of rounds on the cross trainer may help too.







3 comments:

  1. I think you did a darling job, the photos look great, with all that you have mentioned the pattern sure does sound challenging, kudos to you for completing it.

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  2. Thanks for the mention! You've done a great job with this top - it's tricky to line up all those seams, plus that's a very tricky fabric you chose to sew with! If you want your next version to be made from a slippery fabric, I'd recommend using Lena Merrin's recipe for a gelatin wash that temporarily stiffens the fabric and makes it a lot easier to manipulate and sew. It's on her blog (the sewing space) under tips for sewing with silk.

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