I've Been Won Over

Last night I thought and thought about what kind of top would look good with my polyester skirt, made with New Look 6137.  While I think a fitted vest would still be a good option, I didn't have any fabric in my stash that looked just right.  Finally, I stumbled upon a white matte jersey from Ann at Gorgeous Fabrics and Butterick 3391.  The matte jersey has a subtle crepe-like texture which is similar to the skirt fabric.  Here are the patterns I used for both pieces.  They are both quite old so they might be out of print. 

I made view B for the top which is the white one you see above.  I liked how the asymmetry, particularly the point of the neckline, lines up with the slit in the skirt.  I also liked the waist gathering on the left side.  Here is the completed outfit and I have to say, I just love it.  I've even warmed up to the floral print again! DH just got home and said, "Wow."  I think that's a good sign. 

I'll write about the top first.  I cut a size 10.  Since this looks so fitted on the pattern envelope and I am finding I need to do a forward shoulder adjustment on practically everything, I added 1/2" to the back shoulder piece and cut the sleeve in half vertically and added 1/2" of width.  This gave me a bit more room in the sleeve which seems to have worked out perfectly.  I also gave myself an extra 1/4" at the narrowest part of the side seams because my waist tends to be a bit wider than very fitted patterns allow.  The pattern instructs you to make a casing at the neckline to thread 1/4" elastic through.  I opted to hem my neckline with my coverstitch machine.  It didn't stretch at all, so it lays nice and flat against my body.  However, if I didn't have that machine, I would have finished it the way it recommends. 

Close-up Top: 

 

For the skirt I cut a size 12.  There are 6 panels and a waistband piece.  The waist is very fitted and sits at the natural waistline.  I inserted an invisible zip in the left side seam instead of a lapped one.  Otherwise, I followed the directions as recommended and didn't make any fitting adjustments.  This skirt is fun to walk around in the way it swishes.  Here is a picture of how the cardigan from my last post looks with the skirt.  Do you see what I mean by a triangle on top of a triangle?  I just don't think the overall look is flattering, but it's ok because I ended up with two outfits I really like instead of one that didn't sit well with me.  Yay!