Peacock Silk Top for Grand Reception

***Edited in Purple---patternmaking, side-back princess seam.

I had signed up to attend the Grand Reception, held on the night before the quilt show opened.  This is a semi-formal affair, so I needed something 'special' to wear.  I decided to try to copy a Watters H2O top that I had tried on during my MOG dress-shopping marathon.  And I had just the right fabric for this...a peacock-colored silk that I had picked up at the Fabric Collection in Jackson, TN, on one of the MOG dress shopping trips!

Here, you can see me in the final top...along with Etta McFarland (my travel buddy!) and Jim West, the Managing Director of the IQFOI and founder and CEO of Travel Alliance, Inc., which operates the Sew Many Places travel company who organized the tour for us.  We were walking along talking with Jim when we stopped to take a photo...but look at how well we 'match' the quilts in the background!  And who doesn't love a man in a kilt? :)

To make my top, I began with the basic blouse pattern with side and waist bust darts as well as back shoulder dart.  I used the program settings to widen the neck opening, but had to manually create the neck shape I wanted.

Notice the shape of the sleeve pattern:  I have found that I get the best sleeve cap shape when I keep the wrist circumference very small...too small!  Widening the wrist narrows the cap (a program flaw that I have been complaining about for years now!) so it is best for me to draft with a small wrist then redraw the sleeve below underarm level manually.

I used ZERO bust ease* and 4.5" hip ease. 
I wanted the waist darts to measure 1.5" wide, so I adjusted the ease level until that width was drafted.  The waist ease setting ended up being 3.5".

*Knowing what I know NOW, if I was doing this over again, I would use a bit more bust ease.


I rotated the side bust dart to the shoulder. (Why not just start with the dart there, you may ask.  PMB cannot keep the armholes constant when the dart is rotated, so I start with this same side bust dart and make my changes manually.)

I also drew in the 'princess' line, which I wanted BESIDE (not 'ON') the bust point.
I also located the 'V' portion of the neckline.

I copied/mirrored the front pattern to create a WHOLE front, drew the new curved neckline, then eliminated the portion beyond the princess line on one side....this is a wrap front style.

Next, I drew a circle on the bust point, radius = 1.5". 
I used the LOCATE POINTS tool to divide the edge of the wrap (between waist and neck) into four sections...locate three points.
I drew lines from each of these points to either side of the bust circle, as well as to a point located on the sideseam that was 3.125" below the underarm.  These lines were to become the pleats.  

I used the SCISSORS TOOL to CUT the CF line into segments...this is important.

I measured that shoulder bust dart, then rotated HALF to the first pleat and HALF to the second pleat. 

When the pleats are opened, those CF line segments change their orientation.  That TOP segment will eventually become the grainline for this pattern.

At this point, I copied the pattern and extended the top CF grainline, then rotated the pattern so that the grainline was vertical.  Now I had the pattern for the LEFT side...and instead of pleats, those would be sewn as darts (so as to reduce bulk).

I continued working on the RIGHT side.  I drew in another line BELOW the waist...now I had three lines (including the waist) that still needed to be converted to pleats.  I did NOT rotate any of the bust dart to these lines...it was ALL put in those top two pleats.  These were simply rotated open to add fullness so they were equal in width to the other pleats...this was done AFTER I had separated the SIDE FRONT from the CENTER FRONT section.

Again, the top CF line segment was extended and the pattern was rotated to make it vertical.

Now I had a pattern for the left front, one for the right front and one for the side front.

Time to work on the BACK. 
As mentioned before, my back neck opening drafts NARROWER than my front neck opening...which is bad.  I am told it doesn't happen to everyone...depends on the measurements.  Anyway, I shift the back neckline (PINK) laterally by .25" and redraw the back shoulder dart (RUST)  smaller to control the length of the back shoulder seam.

To get rid of the back shoulder dart:
I rotated the back shoulder dart to the armhole...at the 1/2-BAH height level.  Then I drew in the princess lines to incorporate the waist dart, curving to create a nice shape.  One side of the princess line (BLACK)  touches the upper leg of the now-armhole dart and one side of the princess line (RED)touches the lower leg of the now-armhole dart.  This incorporates the shoulder dart uptake into the princess seam and eliminates the need to sew a separate shoulder dart.

***see edit, below.
HOWEVER, now the two princess seams, BLACK and RED, are not the same length.  So I measured and found that the red line (side-back princess seam) needed to be lengthened by 0.5" to equalize these seams.  I drew in the BLUE segment (on right image), which is 0.5" long, then ROTATED the lower armhole (GREEN) by 0.5" CLOCKWISE, pivot point = underarm point (PINK CIRCLE). 

***Edited to correct-
On 07-28-13, I was putting away these patterns and I saw a hand-written note on this side back pattern piece with a reminder of something I had forgotten.  After sewing, the back princess seam seemed 'poufy', so I ripped and REMOVED that extra .5" that was added to the back armhole to equalize the princess seams.  So, apparently, it might be better to just leave those seams unequal in length...at least for me!

Now all that was left to do was separate the patterns, add seam allowances, and clean them up.  I added generously at the tip-top of the side back (and side front) princess seams, then trimmed away any excess when I cut out the paper pattern pieces and fit them together.  This one only needed a tiny bit of trimming.

Using this pattern, I cut out the silk dupioni as well as the silk organza (the underlining).  BTW, that organza was white when I bought it, but I prewashed my fabrics together...now it matches.  :)

I started out hand-basting these pieces together, then tried machine basting, but evently resorted to glue-basting the underlining to the fashion fabric.  Those front pieces had LOTS of darts/pleats to baste around!

For my loops, I found a great tutorial on making narrow spaghetti straps on this site. She uses a bobby pin to turn the narrow tube...genius!  Check it out...

Oh!  My buttons!  Would you believe I found this set of buttons to cover in my grandmother's stash?  Again, her stuff comes to my rescue, just as it did with the button for the MOG dress.  This set had just the right amount of buttons, in just the right size...hard to find at the local store these days!

 
My loops, as seen from the inside:

Here are the loops and the buttons, as well as a snap I sewed on near the lower edge to help keep the hem closed.  Since I lined this top with black Ambience, I didn't have any peacock-colored china silk to cover the snap with...so I used it as-is.

To hold the underlayer, I sewed a button onto the lining at the princess seam, catching only the lining.  I wasn't sure if I should try to catch the outer layer (seam allowances) too, or not, so I just caught the lining.  I made a thread loop to go over the button.

Here you can see the buttoned inside...

At one point during construction, I was very frustrated.  I had the neckline all stitched, trimmed, clipped and understitched...but those 'points' were kind of wanting to stick out away from my body.  I had forgotten to trim a bit off the facing pattern and I was afraid this was the cause.  I ripped one side...understitching, mind you!!!...and scooted the seams as if the facing had been trimmed...then pinned to see if that might fix the problem.  I couldn't really tell...

About that time my doorbell rang.  It was my next door neighbor, who hasn't been over to my house in years!  She had come to say hello and see my sewing room.  I took her up and showed her around, then told her about the problem I was having with this neckline.  She then told me about a particular collar that gave her fits (long ago), so she went to the storage room and grabbed some WIRE and sewed it into the collar seam...now she could shape that collar any way she desired!  Well, a lightbulb went on over my head!  YES!  She also said that if the hem of a jacket wanted to flip out on her, she would sew a quarter into the front hem/corner!  Genius!

As soon as she left, I put the ripped-out neckline back as it had been before I ripped it.  I hand-sewed some thin copper wire along the neck corner seamline...bending the ends to prevent pokies.  Worked perfectly!  I could probably have used the heavier gauge wire (in my jewelry-making stash), but I didn't want to be able to feel it (with my hand).  Then, when I got to the hem, I took no chances...a quarter seemed excessive but a dime was just right! :)

Here is the jacket on my paper-tape double...see how my left shoulder blade really sticks out? That makes it difficult to get my back shoulder width just right.   This jacket is 'almost' perfect...for a no-ease garment it is great.  But next time, I would prefer a bit more ease at bust and above, across the back.

Here are a few pictures of the top ON ME!  I felt like it looked good and made a good impression.  Though close-fitting, it was not so tight that I couldn't move, even with the camisole underneath.

At the Grand Reception...not everyone chose to dress semi-formally.  And there were no dress-police there to enforce the code!  But I was glad I looked appropriately attired, even if my hair DID look awful this whole trip!  sigh.

The fellow in the plaid shirt is the official photographer...he certainly didn't dress for the occasion!

Perhaps you can see a little tightness across the back? 
I think I would also lower the armhole just a tiny bit for the next one (in addition to adding a bit more bust/shoulder ease).

Ya know, on the MOG dress, I had made the shoulders TOO wide!  So, when I drafted the pattern for this top, I reduced the front and back shoulder widths...but apparently, I over-did it! 
Story of my life.
Next time...

Cheers!

Back-posting...

I have several more posts that will soon be posted in the wrong order...that is, they SHOULD have auto-posted back in April but that didn't happen.  So, if you get notification of a new post, but get here to see the same old one, please look back a few posts to see what's new!

A visit to a quilt show...

...or what I did on my Summer vacation!

This was the second year of the International Quilt Festival Of Ireland and I made the over-sea journey to attend. This was my first time to cross the ocean...my first stamp on my new passport!

Ireland was beautiful...so green and lush, yet the trees were not tall like here in the U.S.A.  I guess when you live on an island, the trees are needed for wood which would be expensive to import.

Farmers are required to leave a little land undisturbed at the edges of their fields for the wildlife.

Aren't these 'fahans' interesting?  Little beehive-like structures that folks actually lived in many years ago!  I suspect they did little more than take shelter there, as they were so tiny!

And what is a trip to Ireland without a visit to Blarney Castle?  You can bet I went inside, but I did NOT kiss that stone...although I took photos for others who chose to kiss it.  No, I am a bit more selective about what touches MY lips!

In Wicklow County, we visited the oldest mill in Ireland...Avoca. 

Inside, the mill was a hub of activity, with workers performing a specific task in each area.  This man demonstrated weaving by hand...pulling the cord to force a shuttle back and forth.  It was kinda awesome!

But this IS a sewing blog, after all!  I should talk about sewing...

 

 

The quilts at the IQFOI were displayed in unusual ways, by design.  That is part of what makes this show different from all the others.  The "I Believe" exhibit was in a church.  Actually, the first time we went to see it, we had to leave as there was a WEDDING about to start!  We went back the next day, just as MASS was beginning!  Finally, our third visit was successful and we were able to see all the quilts as well as the magnificient cathedral!

 

In the "Under the Sea" exhibit, they had created atmosphere by using shells, fishes,, treasure chests, blue lights, etc, to give the illusion of being in the ocean.

 

 

In the "Spirit Rising" exhibit, there were trees, rocks and spa-like music to provide a tranquil environment.

 

 

 

Etta (McFarland) and I had a great time, both at the quilt show AND touring the country!

 

MOG Dress Completion, and Accessories!

Now it was time to hem my MOG dress, but first I had to get some shoes.  I tried on every shoe in this city...even bought a few pair!  But nothing felt comfortable.  I couldn't imagine wearing any of these shoes all night, let alone dancing in them. 

I began wondering HOW on earth do those dancers on TV do it? 
Of course!  They wear DANCING SHOES!

So I got on the phone and called a dancewear store close to me.  Yep, they have dancing shoes IN STOCK.  So I  IMMEDIATELY drove over there. 

I tried on several styles...EVERY single shoe I tried on was MUCH more comfortable than ANY of the 'pretty' ones I had tried before.  Even the ones that were the wrong size were more comfortable!

These were not the prettiest, but they had a sole that could be worn outside (unlike the shoes for ballroom dancing, which have a soft sole).  The color was blah...tan...but I knew I could paint them any color I wanted!  Plus, my dress is full and long...how much would they really show? 
So I bought these:

Gorgeous, eh?

Once I took them home, I compared them to the pair of shoes I had already purchased.
Visually, there was no comparison...the dancing shoes were much wider and clunkier.  the other shoes were 'prettier'.  But...imagine...if that wide shoe fits, how in the world is my foot supposed to survive in the narrow, 'pretty' shoe?

I got out the masking tape and began taping the soles.

 

Then I started mixing paint!  I used Lumiere paints and mixed gold and silver to get an 'in-between' color.  Here you can see the painted shoe on the left and the unpainted one on the right.

 

 

But as you can see, the newly painted shoe doesn't match the 'pretty' shoe.  I kept painting. 

 

After a few days, I decided the shoes were STILL too gold for my taste, even though the dress DOES have a gold mesh underlayer in the bodice.  I really wanted them to be a bit more silver.  So I mixed paints again...this time using a Platinum color mixed with some gel medium to make it more translucent.  Better.  In this picture, the platinum color is the one in the center.

Then, in a moment of weakness, I decided to see what would happen if I rubbed SHOE POLISH on them to 'antique' these shoes, like the 'pretty ones'.  Well, duh!   These shoes don't have folds to hold the darker polish...they are smooth.  I quickly rubbed it off as best as I could and called the shoes DONE!

Oh, the 'pretty' shoes were returned to the store, unworn.

Now that the wedding shoes had been acquired, I could finally hem the MOG dress.  After it had hung for a while to let the bias skirt 'seek its place in the world', my sister came over and pinned up the hem for me...she is very good at that kind of stuff!

I hand-basted close to the folded edge, then marked a constant amount UP from the fold.

Next, I cut on that marked line, so that I would have an even hem allowance.

I decided to use hem lace on this hem...I wanted it to look nice but be very secure.  I didn't want it pulling out after accidently catching a heel on the hem! I found some purple hem lace in...where else?...my grandmother's stash!  But it wasn't quite enough to go all the way around the dress hem.  No biggie, I thought.  I'll go ahead and start sewing with this lace, then get some more in the morning when the stores open.

I soon realized that it was miles around this them!  But I sewed and sewed...using a herringbone stitch on TOP of the lace to make it lay very flat...hoping to make it less likely to catch on anything.

Then, in the morning, I left home to pick up some more purple lace.  Well, duh.  Have you tried to buy hem lace lately?  There are VERY few colors available, and that is *if* you can find the hem lace at all!  I had to buy navy blue...so part of my hem has purple lace and part has navy blue!  sigh.

I was reminded by friends that I might want to get a little purse to carry...something to put my phone (camera) in as well as a hanky.  Hmmmm....  that is not something I had thought about before.  But after shopping around town, I quickly realized that a) my taste exceeds my budget, and b) there is not much selection in this town!

One day I was prowling around in Kohls, looking for who knows what...when I stumbled upon this tiny little wrist purse.  It was exactly the color of my MOG dress!  So I had to buy it.

 

Once I got it home, I pried off that silly silver name on the front.

Then I used Glad Press 'n Seal and a Sharpie to make a pattern of that front area...

I used that pattern on a piece of the layered lace-mesh-satin fabric and cut a panel to cover the purse front.  I used hot glue to attach it!  Done.

Leave it to me to turn this wedding into one big craft project!

But it turned out fun and fine. 

Oh, BTW, the MOB decided she wasn't crazy about her teal dress, so she took it back and got a dark blue one.  I was worried that now mine might look too similar to hers...but since no one else seemed to care, I didn't either!  In the end, we coordinated! :)

 

The End.