Skull gypsy style top

I am apparently into yellow right now. Or at least this is the second yellow item I have made in the last month.

I normally go for much less bright fabrics than this though every now and then seem drawn to bright yellow. Maybe cos its hot and its summer?

As you can see the land is dead which is not usual for rainy green England at all even in the height of summer. My garden is all dying. We are offically in drought due to lack of water so have a hose pipe ban. There is a shortage of electricity because we do not usually have temperatures this high so there is no water to cool the nuclear power stations ( I hate the things and am against nuclear power but they could at least have thought of the fact we were heading for global warming when they went and built them!), there is no hydro power due to low levels of water. So the UK is looking somewhat stuffed right now!

Back to this top. This is actually not a bad look despite not really being my usual look. Certainly its less bright than last couple of weeks fluoro yellow leggings - still not so sure about them to be honest though I have worn the shorts yesterday ad several times since making them. Today is just too hot for velvet.

This fabric passes as a summery "floral" and I even got away with wearing this for work which is really good. I do prefer to be me, even though usually for work thats not really possible.  Despite the skulls I would never have been seen dead in this in my extreme youth. Far too un-gothic. Still its fine for now.

So this top which is a really simple one and made to replace this chiffon top I made years ago because I seem to have lost or recycled or donated the original top. 

 

Of course it will probably now turn up. I kind of hope so, even though I have replaced it. The skull and floral chiffon was lovely. I cannot remember who I bought it off though, and a quick internet search did not give any results. I did buy it a long tme ago so probably it has sold out. 

The yellow skull fabric is Rose and Hubble cotton so should last a while and will fade less than my poly cotton version that I made at the same time as the chiffon one. 

I can find the poly cotton one but its just pilly and shabby now. 

 

You can probably see I did not realise the fabric had a directional design! I was still learning to sew then. Mind you I would not totally discount my accidentally doing something similar again. I had to recut some sleeves a few weeks ago due to cutting them with an upside down design!

This old top is now worthy of decorating or gardening but not much else. Mind you if I do make another of these, which I am cosidering,  then the ribbon edge was a good idea so I may repeat that. 

I do like these easy to wear tops in summer and of course they are also back on the high street but really its a safe but unadventurous make for me.

Still sometimes safe and definitely wearable is better. I have a had some issues with being ill recently and its meant I have done little sewing and virtually no knitting. Today I am feeling a bit better.

A few weeks ago now I also attempted a very easy Dotty Angel pattern. The Dotty Angel pattern range kind of reminds me of a modern Laura Ingals Wilder look and I just thought " why not". 

What a waste of fabric!

This was such a disaster I felt like chucking it out. 

A friend also made the exact same pattern in a different size. We both came out with these unflattering oversized frumpy dresses that fall off the shoulders, so its not down to the size I made either. Its very much an issue with the pattern so now I am not too sure if I should even keep the pattern. Its just so awful. 

 I even added sleeves to try to make the original pattern work. I tried it with and without the front pleats and with and without a waist tie as well. Never took photos before the sleeves but it doesn't matter the pattern is just horrible. The neck feels and looks too big - even bigger and more gapey with the front pleats than when I removed them!

 

When you really honestly believe a pattern is crap though should you even donate it?

I mean would it be right for someone to pay out money for a second hand pattern and then also waste the fabric to make this, ( which is what happened to both me and my friend) when they might actually be really badly off. The fact my mate had similar problems with this design suggests its not just us, its the pattern itself, so should I donate, which I would do usually when I decide I do not want a pattern or should I just bin this? 

It seems unfair to the unsuspecting person who will buy this rubbish.

On the other hand I believe Dotty Angel has quite a following so some people must get on with this.

Opinions welcome here.

Sleeves defo did not improve this dress though. But I do think removing those front pleats did help stop the neck gaping so badly. Its still a huge neck hole though.

It feels like I need to lift the shoulder line by about 6 cm - then maybe it might be better ??

The dog here is Roger. Being failthful and photobombing as usual.

I paid full price for that pattern too which is actually very unusual for me. I will not be buying any more Dotty Angel patterns after this bad experience. I really liked the fabric I used and so far  have not come up with anything I can do to try and save it. So I am very disapointed in Dotty Angel!

I suppose it might make a sleeveless top from the bodice, but really such a waste of a nice fabric that was pretty expensive - especially the hem and pocket/ sleeves bits though the main bodice was not cheap. I have been saving these fabrics for ages for a nice unusual project. What a complete disapointment. And I suspect most of the bits cannot be rescued!

For now this is sitting - in bits since I took it appart, on my sewing trolley waiting for me to get inspiration. I suppose I could use the bits as pocket linings but how sad to waste the 2m of the main bodice fabric I have had saved for years till I find a good project for it. I should have made something I had already tried but this seemed such a simple design I did not think it could go wrong. 

And to top it all I played around with this rubbish pattern, undoing the front tucks, adding sleeves etc and wasted nearly 3 weeks of precious sewing time and achieved absolutely nothing.

Anyway now you can see the reasoning behind my using a simple and TNT pattern that I used for the yellow skull top!

At least I knew it was highy unlikely I would waste my fabric! And right now after the rather suspect make of the fluorescent leggings and shorts and the wasted time and fabric of the Dotty Angel disaster I really need to just get my sewing confidence back and make something that works.

And as it happens I really do like my yellow skulls even if a bit bright for me. But then its summer!

 

Shorts were a bargain from my local charity/ thrift shop being only £2 and are actually Kate Moss for Top Shop shorts. And they fit nice. I rarely find bargain clothes in charity shops and tend to visit for bric-a-brac or for fabric remnants ( or things I can upcycle) rather than actual clothing this this is for me an unusual find. 

Have a great week and thanks for popping over

Bracken