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Thursday, May 8, 2014

Thrifty Thursday

Finally, a warm day!! It feels soooooo very good to not have on layers of clothes for a change. 
I actually had the top I'm sharing today finished last week, but we announced Sewing Indie Month last Thursday, so I decided to wait and post my top this week.
Craftsy has a boat load of patterns that are available for purchase as well as for free. I really needed some sleeveless knit tops that would work for everything from wearing with a skirt to doing yoga. I found this pattern that was designed by Deby Coles and thought that the front shirring was rather interesting, so I decided to give it a try. 
Here's my version.
Look closely and you'll see that I concentrated the shirring under my bust. I initially had the shirring over the bust as you can see in the pattern picture above, but I decided that I would prefer that the shirring be concentrated a little lower. No changes had to be made to the pattern, I just pushed the shirring into the area where I wanted it to be.
Since I was giving the pattern a try for the first time, I wanted to use up some scraps. I didn't have enough of the black and white knit to cut the front, so I used a remnant of black knit. I think it looks fine. I do like the top and plan to make a few more. The fit is very nice. It will work well for my yoga class as it doesn't ride up when I stretch and when I bend over, nothing peeks out, if you know what I mean ;).
The top has princess line seams, so it is very easy to fit. All around a nice little pattern. For those of you who really don't like to tape patterns together, this pattern comes as one large piece. So the good thing is no taping, on the other hand, you will need to take the file to a print shop that has a large scale printer and have them print it for you. I took mine to FedX and was pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive it was to print. Deby does give instructions on how the pattern can be tiled so that you can print it at home. I couldn't be bothered. It was much easier to just run over to the print shop.  
If you would like to give the pattern a try, here is a link to the Craftsy site, http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/sewing/clothing/gathered-front-top/80620?_ct=fhezusj-tujqyb-fqjjuhd-ydifyhqjyed&_ctp=80620 In order to download the pattern, you will need to create a Craftsy account if you don't already have one. I don't find Craftsy to be too intrusive, so don't worry about getting tons of emails from them. Deby does have other patterns available, so you might want to check out her blog. You can find it here, http://so-sew-easy.com/
Hope you're having a great day!
Rhonda



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20 comments:

  1. I've got this pattern saved, so it's great to see how your version turned out! Such a lovely day for short sleeves!

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  2. It feels so good to have doors and windows open once again!!!

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  3. Glad to hear you are getting some spring weather. Storms here today and tornado warnings. We are OK--just lots of rain (which we need). I have a pattern downloaded from that same designer, but don't remember which one--maybe a wrap dress? Anyhow, now that I see this top, I need to download it too. Life has been busy and keeping me from the sewing machine. I hate it when that happens! I really like the print with the black. So cute!

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    1. Storms can be so bad where you live. Hopefully you won't get too much rain too fast.
      The nice thing about this top is that it is so easy and quick to make. So download it and get it printed out, then when you have a little time you'll have a project that you'll be able crank out in a flash!

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  4. We are also having glorious weather up here in the North Country. Winter is finally dead and gone! Love your top!

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    1. Thanks Bunny :) I am a little too superstitious to say that winter is over!! Today is warm, but tomorrow is going to be quite cool again. Oh well, summer was nice while It lasted ;)

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  5. for us March and April were beautiful, warm enough to sit outside and eat breakfast and lunch in glorious sunshine. However May has turned a little chilly with lots of rain showers so where I thought the short sleeved tops were ready to be pulled out of the closet, the warmer sweaters are being worn again. Nice top.

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    1. It must have been wonderful to sit out and enjoy that glorious view that you have. So sorry it has turned so cold :( Here in Chicago we know that winter can return in the blink of an eye! And it usually does ;)

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  6. After an awful day yesterday the sun is out and the birds are singing. Just the sort of day to want to make a lovely top like this! Thank you for sharing Rhonda :)

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    1. You lucky little duck!! We had one beautiful day and now it's storming like crazy. Ahh, spring! Anyway, as I've said to others, this is a great staple piece. Since you are a walker like me, you'll enjoy using up some scraps and having some cute tops for your morning walks. Enjoy!

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  7. Thanks for Sharing. I am going to take that plunge. I love your version.

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    1. I think you'll like the pattern. It's a great staple. I can't remember if the red and white stripe pants you made are knit, but if it is, that would be so cute paired with a solid white, white for the body of the top and the stripe as trim. Can you tell that I love that fabric?!!!! Enjoy those pants :)

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  8. on a completely unrelated subject...the bottom of this dress looks a lot like the sleeve you taught us to draft recently.
    http://www.justjared.com/2014/05/05/dita-von-teese-brings-classic-glamour-to-met-ball-2014/

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    1. That is an incredible dress! Thanks for sharing the site. I've saved the picture as it gave me some ideas.

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  9. What a great pattern! Thank you for sharing it. We're bracing for warm weather the next few days -- supposed to hit the 90s! Hope you are enjoying your warm days!

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  10. Thanks for this post. I think I would give this top a try, lots of possibilities for piecing it in different prints and a nice look.

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  11. Thank you for the post. DH will be away for work on Thursday and Wednesday, so I will print out and hopefully make the shirt then!

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  12. Your top looks great. I've had this pattern saved for a while and after reading your review I think I'll move it to the top of my "to sew" list.

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  13. I only just found this post Rhonda - I had no idea you had tried out one of my patterns. Thanks for writing up about it. It looks great on you, and I really like the way you moved the gathers down, looks really flattering.

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