Ta! Dah!

What a month!

All good intentions of sewing up a storm went flying out the window - I'd forgotten how exhausting 10 hour workdays can be.

I had cut 3 tops at the beginning of the month to enter the "One Pattern Many Looks" on Patternreview. The idea of the contest is to come up with different looks by using different fabrics, trims or combinations of fabric, while using the same pattern. Last post I mentioned I was using one of Ottobre's pattern (1/5/2010),

Here are my finished tops.

The first top is made from an Oriental inspired print in a rayon/lycra knit with a contrast yoke in an off-white contton/lycra rib knit. To finish the look, a removable, simple fabric rose made from a scrap of leftover main fabric. The neckline is bound in the main fabric.

The second top is made from cotton/lycra in a plain blue marle. To accentuate the yoke, a purchased trim featuring small metallic coins, was attached along the seam line.

To complete the top, the same trim was used along the hemline.

Since this top is a little longer than a normal T, this finish gives it more of a tunic look.

Finally, top 3. This top utilizes two fabrics, one a poly/rayon lycra in plain hot pink, and the second a hot pink printed mesh. The plain fabric is used for the front, back, sleeves and yoke and the mesh for the front and back only.

The mesh was cut several cm shorter than the plain fabric to give an overlay effect.

The hem of the plain fabric is finished by simply turning up the allowance and stitching two rows of straight stitching (my coverpro should be getting a whirl here, I know, but I find I can do the two rows in half the time it takes to set up for the coverpro).

The overlay was finished using a lettuce leaf finish. Lettuce leaf, you ask? That's right, fold up the hem allowance, stretch the fabric like crazy and zig-zag over the folded edge and voila'! A crinkly finished hem.


Three tops, finished and in time for the contest finish date ....PHEW!