yet another wiksten tank

Sorry for the long silence folks! I’ve been so busy since coming back from Italy that I haven’t taken many personal photos, let alone edit them.
We got summer and sunshine for a whole week, finally a stop to all the rain and below 20Cs we’ve been having! Which means that I got to wear the latest Wiksten tank, made earlier in the year:

I found this lovely silk chiffon fabric months ago and had to try working with it. It was easier to sew with than I had expected! I absolutely have to wear a white top under it though, because it’s very sheer.

Grey isn’t really a color that suits me but I like to pair it with corals or reds to brighten it up (like this red H&M blazer).

I haven’t actually touched my sewing machine in weeks and weeks but I’m hoping to dust it off today after work to work with a nice bright summer fabric I picked up yesterday.
I won’t complain though, I love all the travelling I have been doing lately and look forward to all those weekend trips already planned! As always I just wish there were more hours in the day though, to make time for sewing and also more time for developing my business (as it is, I’m so busy with photoshoots and editing them that I haven’t found the time to work on my website or the print shop I really wish to set up).
But now, another day at the office and starting the weekend after that 🙂

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floral sorbetto variation

A quick sorbetto top with a twist (or two, or three).

Inspired by this top and this Sorbetto Top variation, I modified the original Sorbetto pattern: Extended the shoulder by a couple of inches (and lowered the armscye) and added length, a button placket at the back and a small collar.

I also made a size bigger than I’d need to have it look a little blousier. The fabric is a lovely light floral cotton (almost sheer but not quite). I have to say I’m quite proud of the buttonholes at the back. I made them with my zig-zag steel monster machine using this tutorial for making buttonholes without a buttonhole foot or feature.

I like how it turned out and how it fits, but I’ll see how much I’ll actually wear it…I have nothing to go with a green floral except jeans. I’ve been looking for a nice grass-green fabric for a while (not cool green, not neon or flashy, just a nice fresh green) but no such luck.
Kind of like this aloe a friend gave me (I did find this lovely flower pot with a pastel green border for it at the thrift store).

I’m working on a couple more spring wardrobe-planning posts, so I might actually get more than one blog post in this week. Somehow a post each weekend sounds manageable and ok, but 4 posts a month sounds like nothing at all! I used to blog every two days when I started, but I have neither the time to write nor to read that much anymore. Most days it feels like I’m fighting my Google reader inbox and for every post I read there’s two more up that I don’t want to miss. Luxury problems I guess 🙂

wiksten tank top

After making the dress from this pattern a couple of weeks ago, I really wanted to try out the top version as well.

The fabric I decided upon and waited patiently to ship to me is from the Victoria and Albert Collection The Grand Tour and it was a real pleasure to work with. The grey fabric I made the dress out of was slippery and shifty but this quilting weight print was wonderful to sew with.

And finally it looks just as good on the inside as on the outside! I have to mention again how very well made Jenny’s (from Wiksten) patterns are, this top has all french seams and beautifully neat binding finishes at the collar and arms. Very important details for us serger-less crowd!

I love how the top looks simple but classy but is so versatile at the same time! It can be worn with virtually anything both in summer and with a shirt underneath in winter, tucked inside pants or left loose. I think the simple graphic print works nicely with my favourite canary yellow cardigan or boldly coloured scarves and other prints. We’ve been having an uncharacteristically hot spring so this was finished just in time!

handmade blue shirt

Ever since I bought Cal Patch’s Book on how to draft patterns I have been totally hooked. There’s quite a few things I want to show off but since this is newest and I took pretty photos of it today, here’s my new blue shirt:

It was sewn again on my Great-grandma’s trusty treadle. The blue fabric is the same clearance fabric I made the skirt of (and I still have lots left), so I could experiment a little with the pattern and some pleating.
The buttons are vintage from the flea market. I am especially proud of the bias tape finish at the neckline because the last time I tried it it didn’t work and I am glad it did this time 🙂

The buttonholes are by hand, as always.
Here’s a pic of me wearing it. I decided to tuck it in since I feel it is a bit big on me otherwise (though I might be imagining that, I don’t usually wear loose fitting clothing).

And a back shot. The pleating is actually straight (not crooked like it appears in the photo) and I wore it all day today, so that’s why it’s all crinkly.

I am totally on a roll sewing clothing at the moment, I even went ahead and did some serious splurging on nice fabrics (as in, buying nice soft 100% cotton fabrics at a price I can absolutely not afford). But oh, can you imagine the tunic style tops and Peter Pan collar shirts? I sure can!