New TNT - The Burda Bat Wing Top returns

In the spirit of my bright new organised sewing room I have resolved to start finishing off some of my half done projects or UFOs (Un-Finished Objects).

 These two have been languishing half finished since July! It only took about 2 hours to finish them both off!!

First on the list - something easy (we'll work up to that coat that is half done...). After such success with my first try at this Burda pattern I immediately rushed out to buy fabric to make some more! 

Fabric Close Ups - This one is a bit sheer so a neutral tank works well underneath

Texture, Texture, Texture - The red top is super warm since this texture comes from a double layer of fabric

I went back to my fave haunt - Ferriers Fashion Fabrics since I had seen these fabrics on my first visit but didn't want to spend on luxe fabrics if I wasn't sure the pattern would work. Now I know it works and looks good I am quite happy to spend a little more to get quality in my end garment. 

This is a pretty stable ethos for me - New Pattern? Start off with a 'wearable muslin' in a cheap fabric so if it is a disaster at least I haven't destroyed beautiful and expensive fabric making it! Then, when all the kinks are ironed out, move on to fabrics I love to wear. I think this is also how I discover if a design is worthy of the TNT tag - and why I made 3 versions of my wrap dress in the previous post before finally making it up in luxurious Italian Jersey (just fabric for this make was around $70!!)

But back to these girls - there isn't much to add to what I wrote last time. Construction and sizing didn't really change although I did leave the interfacing off for the purple version as you could clearly see it at the neckline through the lacey fabric.

These aren't the most exciting things to post about but they are real sewing "cake": good basics that fill a hole in my wardrobe. I am trying to be much more thoughtful and aware of what I sew for myself since my wardrobe has some gaps that need filling with more "cake" rather than just sewing pretty pieces of "frosting". 

But Summer is Coming!! And that means lots of chances to sew and wear some pretty dresses - definitely my favourite type of frosting :-D

So I promise some pretty sweet treats next time I post!

OXOX

Stace

PS - What do you think of my new photo spot in the new room? Should I mix it up with some new locations? It's soooo much easier to get better light here plus I can balance my camera on my cutting table to take pics Yay!

Bat Outta Hell Burda Batwing Top

After my Me Made May adventures I discovered my wardrobe is lacking in comfy, warm winter gear and I've been thinking about how best to fill this gap. Leggings was the first step and now I've moved on to tops.

I've always had a liking for "dancer" style clothing (wrap cardies, circle skirts, ballerina tops and of course batwing or Flash dance style tops or t-shirts). I've always been a dancer at heart so I blame 9 years of jazz dance training for this obsession with ballerina and dancer clothing. I was convinced for years that I couldn't wear the batwing style but as I'm trying to branch out in the styles I wear I thought it was time for another try.

And the great news? I LOVE IT!!!

This is Burda 7866 which I believe is out of print now. I have had my eye on it literally for years so when I saw it marked down on a recent trip to Ferriers Fashion Fabrics along side the perfect fabric to trial the design it seemed fabric fate had brought us together! 

The fabric is a grey, self-pattern knit from Ferriers Fashion Fabrics - these guys have a seriously wonderful selection of fabrics and great service (I've already been back for more fabric to make 2 more versions of this top!). Although not always the cheapest, the quality is amazing. After making up 2 garments in fabric purchased here I can honestly say that slightly pricier fabric is worth it as everything is easier and looks 10 times better in a good fabric. Plus they did have a sale running so this knit wasn't all that expensive in the end. The pattern takes 1.6m for the size 10 I made and while you can squeeze this top out of 1.3m I think you would lose the shaping to the bottom band in the process. So for a whole 30cm of fabric and a nicer shaped top I think sticking with the 1.6m length is best.

Constructing this baby was easy - including tracing the pattern, cutting the fabric and unearthing the second overlocker needle this still only took 3 hours! I think the next one will probably be more like 2 hours (oh yes there will be more of these!!). Everything is cut on the fold where possible to save on seaming during construction. I chose to skip making the matching belt since it felt too fussy to add an unnecessary tie to a simple knit top. As you can see - after attaching the neckline bands this top only has 5 seams and 3 hems to complete. I followed the instructions for attaching interfacing and a neckband to the neckline which was similar to adding bias binding, technique-wise, and am actually really happy with the finish here. Normally I would just add viseoflix and turn the seam allowance but so many people have said how nice the neckline is finished I think I will continue using this method! I sewed all the seams on the 4 thread overlocker with wooly nylon on which definitely helped speed up the process :-)

I really like the simplicity of this top. In a lovely weight knit like this one it drapes and hangs beautifully and I like that the neckline, although high, is quite wide and flattering. I've been wanting to wear this constantly since I finished it and it's certainly going to become a TNT (Tried N True) pattern in the future! Now I just need to work on my pirouettes ;-)