My plans have been to use it for one of the starting points of my Endless Combinations wardrobe (which starts Monday), but I have been hemming and hawing about what to sew with it. A crew neck? No, too boring. Cardigan? What did I just make...still boring! Turtleneck? It is really too heavy for an inside layer. But nothing was really appealing to me until...I received an one of the endless emails that I get from Max Studio because one time about 3 years ago I ordered some pants from them:
The advertisement appealed to me for two reasons. One, everything was black and gray, just like my wardrobe! And two...I loved the styling of the sweaters, especially the sweater dress/tunics. So I went snoop shopping:
From left to right, starting with the top row:1. Max Studio, $138; Banana Republic, $110; Max Studio $118
2. Banana Republic, $98; Michael Kors, $1995; St. John, $604
3. Donna Karan, $695; Tory Burch, $285; Brunello Cucinelli, $595
I really like the look of the short-sleeved tunics. Can you see it with a boatneck, worn over a turtleneck? Kind of like this....
This is Butterick 5528, that based on the line drawing is just two pieces...a front and back each cut on the fold, which are both made from the same piece, and a separate neck scarf.
The only concern that I have is the overall shapelessness of it. Since I am not a willowy illustration...or a size zero catalog model...I am always wary of anything that is bulky or boxy. So, my solution to this is that I will use Butterick 5528 for the kimono sleeves and for the neckline, but use a tracing from my Butterick 5522 dress for the shaping at the waist and the center back, possibly turning the back into two pieces.
Because I am making a frankenpattern for this, I started by making a muslin. I have a mystery knit that I bought at Hancock's about a month ago that is a kind of a burnout in an abstract pattern. It is a cream color, and I ended up with about 5 yards of it because I initially wanted 2 1/2...but there was a stain along the selvedge and they kept rolling out more fabric to get past that stain. They ended up giving me 5 yards, and when I got home...the stain totally washed out. So now I have enough of this fabric to make a tent with. I drew the pattern for the muslin to look like this Max Studio sweater:
My muslin revealed to me a couple of things. First, I have no clue how to draft a boatneck. The one I drafted was way too wide. I also made the sleeves too long, and I also needed to do a bit of work on the hem, which flared out...probably because I used a dress pattern to draft the muslin. So, for the final version, these things will be very easy to fix.
Given that the muslin is complete, I should be able to start on the sweater when the contest starts. If the sweater works out then the second piece for the Endless Combinations collection will be a blue turtleneck to go under the sweater (jersey in the upper right corner):
To go under it, I have purchased a copy of Burda 7447, a narrow pant:
Because let's face it...I'm not going to do leggings. I didn't do leggings the first time leggings were in style. There are three constants in this world....death, taxes, and my chubby knees. So the next best alternative is a narrow pant. I have the gray wool in the photo above, or I could do a black RPL, or possibly the gray corduroy that I purchased for this contest:
So that should be the first three pieces for the contest, with the blue turtleneck will also coordinate with the striped boucle; and the gray pants will coordinate with the gray/black/brown jersey.
For the turtleneck I will use Burda 09/2010/121...sort of.
Because the Burda version was drafted to a 44 and I typically use a 46, I used my TNT tee to draw the pattern for the body, and used the Burda pattern to draft on the turtleneck. I then made a version using the purple stripe fabric that I had in my SWAP plan:
I tried to match the stripes, and did OK on most of the top:
But, because the top that I used to draft the body is made so the front bodice is longer at the bust than the back, there was no way to avoid some mismatch. But, if anyone points out that those particular stripes don't match, I will punch them right in the eye. Because they will be seriously invading my personal space!!
This piece makes the tenth for the SWAP (of 17) and also gave me an opportunity to check the fit on the turtleneck, which I like. A little hint for this top...I did have to craft a little tag from some bias tape, otherwise there was no way to tell what was the front and what was the back. You might also want to check out the tutorial on the Pins and Needles Blog for photos of finishing the neckline.
14 comments:
Can't wait to see your tunic!
Great fabric to play with. I'd be wary of using horizontal stripes on such a boxy tunic. There is a vogue t-shirt pattern which uses stripes running in different directions which would work in a sweater weight. You could add a matching snood for extra warmth.
A narrow pant is a more elegant approach. I think I will try some too. I am Burda bottom half shaped, I wonder what they have?
I agree and like the Max Studio tunic too. Not sure about the big neck thing on the Butterick pattern though--it looks huge!
The tunic sounds interesting. Good luck on your long list of sewing!
Sounds great! I love the stripy sweater knit.
I love that striped sweater knit - the colours are really nice and I'm very impressed with your snoop shopping. Your version of the Burda turtleneck top is fabulous - I made a plain one but I would really love to make a stripy one now.
Your continued progress on the SWAP is amazing! Going on tour sapped all of my sewing mojo.
I love tunics. The picture of the Butterick pattern looks great, but I understand the concern about the shapelessness. My shape is straight up-n-down, but boxy shapes don't look good on me. Do they look good on anyone over 35? lol!
First, thank you Michelle for commenting on my sunburst top and skirt set.
Then,wow,this is a great post. Love all those pictures of sweater tops. And your blue stripes sweater knit is gorgeous. I'll love following the progress on your Endless Combinations Coontest.
Looking forward to your endless combinations. You have a great line-up of fabrics and love the tunic and the idea of narrow pants. I shy away from tunics because of my boxy shape, but looking at your inspiration garments is making me think just maybe I could do a tunic with a belt.... just maybe.
I hear ya about the leggings. They really are not for me either - I am on the lookout for a "leggings alternative" for this summer. A slim line pant for winter is a great idea, but I need something lighter for summer. You are steaming through your swap, and what's more, with "endless combinations" you are taking up another one. Such discipline!
Great turtleneck! I love the colors and the stripes.
Michelle - I love your version of the turtleneck. I have similar plans for my own version of it and I'm so glad that you've added one more finished piece to your SWAP!
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