Sunday, June 21, 2009

Weekend Update

I guess the one positive thing about the never-ending rain is that there's nothing to do but hang out in the workroom and make stuff.

This was a pretty rainy (and pretty productive) weekend. I'm all but finished a pair of UFO pants from last year. These will get their own post when they're completely finished.

First, a recycling project. I've got a ton of old tshirts in the drawer in size XL - why is it that all giveaway shirts are in XL? - and since I've finally made things to sleep in besides those shirts, most of them went in the bag for the thrift store. A couple of them stayed home, and one got turned into another Ottobre tank top. My mom sent me this shirt from one of the many little New York state towns she lived in (they moved a lot) and I always liked it. A lot of the stretch had gone out of the knit, so I cut it a size larger than usual, and used some leftover white stretch for the bands rather than trying to get the tshirt knit to cooperate. Besides, the contrast looks better.

Tonight I traced, cut and am about half finished BWOF 4/2009 #122, the drawstring tunic. The fabric is from Metro Textiles, and is (I think) a cotton/silk blend. It's almost weightless. I had fun playing with the scarf print and all the bits of border it had to offer. I added some length to the cut-on sleeves so I could edge them in the border print, and added some length to the bottom pieces because BWOF's tops are always shorter than I like.

The plunging neckline is pure BWOF, no surprise there, but I have tanks and camisoles that will work under it. Tomorrow I'll join the top to the bottom and add the casing for the drawstring. I think I'll make a separate casing rather than doing it their way, which involves using the seam allowance and just seems like it would put a lot of strain on the fabric. I've got some navy blue rattail for the drawstring, and somewhere in the workroom, there's a box of beads for the end of the drawstring.

Now if I just didn't have to go to work tomorrow . . .

9 comments:

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

I love how you used the print in this top! It will work so well with a camisole...nice, very nice!

sewing said...

The tunic is beautiful!!! Yeah, that "work" thing gets in the way of my sewing.

Faye Lewis said...

Those are two very beautiful tops!

Uta said...

I've been sewing the same blouse... You're motivating me to finally finish(hem) it. I love your border print!

gwensews said...

Good refashion on the tank. Nice look of print in the other top.

Little Hunting Creek said...

That border print is so pretty! I like how it looks on the sleeves and the rest of the top. Very pretty!

BConky said...

What a clever way to use an old t-shirt.

Meg said...

That is a great tunic, Karen! Works perfectly with the fabric.

Tany said...

Very nice job on both the tunic and the top!