I bought this fabric to make a 1940’s pattern blouse, back in 2011.
It became one of those projects that I had made so often in my head that I forgot I hadn’t made it, and that this orange and white striped seersucker was still down at the bottom of my stash suitcase, where the wild things are.
Last weekend, I dug it out for an airing. I had just made my Portfolio pants, and I realised that I would much rather make a relaxed Portfolio top than a starchy blouse. So I did.
Except I ran out of white thread halfway. Grrrr.
Today, thanks to some midweek re-stashing (oops!), I threaded up my sewing machine and finished it off.
Stats:
Pattern: Lisette Portfolio (Simplicity 2245) in size 8
Fabric: Just over 1 metre of pure cotton orange and white striped seersucker, from Croft Mill in 2011. Price forgotten. Maybe £7.50?
Other: White thread, interfacing and two emerald green buttons from stash: it was these or pale blue. FL is not impressed. I like them!
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| Tsk – overlapping buttons? Must fix that! |
Process:
No real problems.
I spent an awfully long time deciding which way the stripes should run on each piece. I wanted to spice it up a bit by stirring the stripes around. Otherwise it might have looked like a nurse’s smock?
I had a moment of brain-fog when I tried to put the neckband on upside down, but I soon saw my mistake.
And I failed to turn the back loops inside out so re-did them with a folded-under edge and stitching on the outside.
Verdict?
This was a deliberate attempt to replace my white dobby dot Portfolio top which was worn-out beyond salvage. You might think orange is a difficult colour, but in my experience it goes with most things: green, blue, black, purple… yes, all of those and more!
But maybe that’s just me.
I am expecting to get a lot of wear out of this at the office.
I am wearing it here with my Peggy skirt. This has become one of my most frequently-worn garments. The denim holds its shape beautifully, looking crisp all day long, and it is a really rich indigo blue. Love it!
Also pictured: bead necklace from Silly Old Suitcase. I have two of these. The other one doesn’t have stars, crosses or roses – it is plainer in that respect. I have a lot of fun with them, as they pick up the colours in my clothes so well. They are the same… but different. A bit like my new top!
The light has been really strange today…