Buy it, wash it, cut it, sew it.

Buy it, wash it, cut it, sew it. Not generally a mantra that is repeated much in my house. Generally, it's more of a "buy it, sneak it into the house, find somewhere to stash it, fondle it, wonder what to make with it, buy it some friends cos it looks lonely" kinda thing. Much more my style, because as we all know (well, the stash accumulaters among us), it's the having it that counts. Not so much the using. Just the warm, fuzzy, secure knowledge that there are metres and metres of fabricy deliciousness awaiting delectation at any time...none of this having to rush out to the shops and get what you need at the moment you need it.

Anyway, in a move very unusual for me, I bought this fabric (with two boys in tow, bribed with crackers and raisins and maybe an easter egg) from Global Fabrics two days ago. Yes, for barely two days did this reside on my shelf before being cut out and turned into a wearable top.

It's the first thing I've sewn using the pattern adjustments from the Palmer/Pletsch course, and I'm impressed so far. I've sewn this pattern in a knit before (the pink top a few posts back) and realised that it needed far more ease in the sleeve if it was to work in the recommended woven fabric. One quick adjustment to make the sleeve bigger, another to deal with my sway back, and voila - one well fitting top that enables me to move my arms. (Meanwhile...pet peeve alert. I am constantly astounded at the number of people in the online universe who write "viola" when they mean "voila" . Yes, I am a tad uptight about such things. No, I don't wander around correcting grammar on signs with a Vivid, but I must confess it is pretty darn tempting sometimes.)
The only part I'm not 100% happy with is the bottom of the sleeve - while the top fits well, the bottom is a bit snug, and it finishes at a really aggravating place, right on the elbow. This means it's always getting pushed up which is a bit of a pain, so next time I think I'll either just sew the cap-sleeved version, or lop an inch or so off this sleeve length so it finishes just above the elbow. I do like the satin binding on the sleeve edge, though - the difference in textures between this and the matt cotton is a nice contrast, I reckon.

Anyway...off to feed the masses. Till next time.