Sewing week has ended but I am still in San Francisco and have a computer connection. I also have a little bit of spare time to catch up with everything that has been going on here.
Here is a top that I made the morning I flew out to San Francisco, May 7th. I cut it the week before and had every intention of finishing it before I had a major computer crisis at work and managed to squeeze in no more than 15 minutes of sewing time a day. I woke up early Saturday morning obsessing about the unfinished top and got it made in time to wear that day:
The top is inspired by a Chanel top I saw at Neiman Marcus when I was visiting my Mom in early December. The original was wool jersey with silk tweed at the bottom and on the bottom of the sleeves. What really inspired me is the way it was sewn. The silk and the jersey were just overlapped and stitched with a straight stitch and then fusible interfacing was fused over the seams on front and back to frinish the seams and keep the silk tweed from unravelling.
This is my version. The black knit is a wool/poly jersey and the white/gray and black is a silk suiting; both are from CandleLight Valley Fabrics. I used Kwik Sew 2900, the same pattern I used for a periwinkle top in March. I changed the neckline from having a band at the v-neck to a facing with a triple row of topstitching around the edge to add stability.
I originally wasn't sure about the finished length and ended up pinning on the fabric and adjusting the length just before sewing. The silk tweed was just stitched to the jersey with a straight stitch. I cut separate pieces for the outside and inside pieces of tweed, using the seam as the hemline. After attaching the tweed to the knit I fused So Sheer on both the inside and outside.
It is hard to see here, but the so sheer reflects the light slightly differently than the knit. The interfacing extends about equally above and below the line between the knit and suiting.
Here is another picture:
This one shows the inside of the hem with the hem facing and another layer of the so sheer.
I like the way this top has turned out. It is attractive and light; the interfacing keeps the silk from ravelling and the idea of having something that is usually part of the inner construction of the garment as a design detail. I think I would use it again. It would be really cute as a short, high hip or shorter top, perhaps a shell, with a short cardigan with the same treatment on the bottom. I would be limited in choice of colors,white or black, but white knit with one of the pretty pastel silk tweeds or white tweeds with brighly colored flecks which are available now would be very pretty.
