Bracken Crafts- 100 garments: A faux leather T shirt with mesh sleeves and lots of lace

After my post for The Monthly Stitch Stash Smash challenge I was so inspired. I had already cut out this top but had not had time to do the twin needle stitching round the hem and neck so I never got round to posting this one. So I suppose really this is a UFO which I hve finally finished.

Incidentally, because the sleeves are so narrow I twin needle stitch the sleeve hems BEFORE I sew up the side seams and it has become the norm now for me to do this in this order since some of my early makes still have no hem on the sleeves and just an overlocked edge because it is impossible to hem them once they are sewn up. Only I know though and they look OK because I turn them under when wearing!

I really love this T-shirt pattern. I have always had a thing for boat neck Ts but I prefer the late 70s/early 80s version to the 50s version. The 50s version is more tailored and usually has facings on neck and sleeves whereas the 80s is more "punk" and has a top stitched neck edge usually with no facings and just a turned under hem although I have occassionally seen bias strips used on the 80s styles.

I do not unfortunately live in a world where I can afford to buy expensive clothes ( or fabric) so I tend to only buy or make things that are practical and every day wear and for work.
It has started to become obvious though that now I am in full swing making stuff I can actually afford to waste a bit of fabric and make something a bit more WOW.

As a teen I would have saved for ages to buy something just like this but as an adult it is just not "sensible". I mean even buying fabric is something I need to plan for so I tend to buy job lots if I can find them and just supplement with extra more interesting bits.

Like the previous two tops this one has power mesh sleeves which are slightly transparent but not completely see-through.

The body is faux leather - woven but very stretchy and goes along with this years theme to use this stuff because I do not know if the coating will decay over time if kept. Also I love this fabric so should use every last centimeter.

I now have a dress: http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/teach-me-fashion-layer-dress.html
two skirts: http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/birthday-skirt.html
http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/first-project-of-2018-drak-green-faux.html

as well as various pairs of leggings:
http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/20-green-leather-look-leggings.html
http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/red-and-black-faux-leather-leggings.htm

http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/24-red-lace-hoody-burdastyle-012016.html

and now this new top! And I am today hopefully also going to finish my peplum jacket: http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/burda-easy-peplum-jacket-in-faux-leather.html

Oh, and I am wearing the new top with these trousers made using scraps of black faux leather from one pair of the leggings: http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/98-and-99-sports-top-and-flared.html

Well my winter wardrobe is looking very trendy although there is a predominance of T shirts with mesh sleeves.

This T shirt though did not quite go as planned. Everything was ok until the very final bit. When I sewed the hem on the bottom using my twin needle I could not get it to lie right. So I did not want to unpick because it was going to leave a mark on the faux leather. I folded it over again and resewed. Even worse. No amount of pressing made any difference. Usually I do not press this fabric for fear of losing the coating. Well this top was pressed! It seems to still be intact as well so maybe I have been worrying too much about this. I have several times settled for slight imperfections due to worrying about this. I may have to be less scared with the rest of this fabric ( yes I still have quite a bit!) and press as normal.
What to do now?

I left it a few days and was really not too sure. I wore it once and decided thats it. No matter how much I like the idea of this top if it does not look right - and this looked downright home made and amateurish in the worst possible way, - so time to unpick the hem(s).

Very carefully I unpicked it over two evenings. Then I pressed it flat. I overlocked the edge and tried wearing it complete with damaged hemline. Still not good enough so what next?

Then I made remembered my black stretch lace which I bought loads of a couple of years ago in an Ebay auction. I could do with coming accross some more in fact because my lace stash is now very low. Anyway I added a couple of rows and yes looked better but because I had hemmed this then rehemmed by just folding over again I have lots of damage so I kept going and in the end 4 rows of lace later I think its covered up the damage and you know I like it better than just the plain T shirt I originally was aiming for. It has something.

Well it has lots of lace, mesh sleeves and is faux leather. Yes my teen self which still lives inside my rapidly forming hag-like-ness loves this so much.
Ha!