Winter Capsule Wardrobe - Black top with lace front

The original Winter capsule wardrobe items are all finished but I just could not resist adding a top. It works better than my previous bright red top and this one is more like the original. I used the rest of my ebay black stretch lace for this top. It has a white front covered in the lace with black back and sleeves and again I used the reverese of the cheapo polyester crepe I have so much of making it look more like RTW bodycon clothing. I did not like my white back and sleeves on my original top because it was just not "me" so this time I have black instead. I loved the first top so hopefully this will be just as well worn. Its made using the same basic dress pattern - McCalls M6612 as the first top because the previous copy - my bright red top is just not as good.

Again this is made from strips of lace bought for 99p a yard each from ebay. The lace takes ages to arrive coming all the way from China so you need to remember when its due to check you actually received it. Nine times out of ten I do but occassionally it does not turn up.

I like this so much I intend to make yet another version but I need to buy some more lace first and turning the crepe fabric over has turned out to be a serious success. It makes very cheap polyester into a wearable fabric rather than old lady looking stuff which I realy do not feel happy wearing. I will probably not buy any more of it anyway but at least I will use up the large amounts I seem to have won of this stuff. I also seriously love this top so expect to wear it loads. Even my partner said "thats a nice top". Quite a compliment indeed because generally he does not say much unless he tells me what is not good.

Thanks for popping by

Bracken

63: lace trimmed top from Burda 08/2016 idea

 In the August 2016 Burda style magazine there was an article on adding lace to the front of a top pattern. The pattern used in the magazine is not one I own since it is from an older magazine but it is just a basic long sleeved T-shirt with pices of stretch lace applied to the front. The Burda version uses lace for the sleeves as well, but I decided to do them in the same fabric as the back and the front lining.

This is really very easy and cheap to do. I bought some lace bits off ebay last year. I had a vague idea to make knickers from them but have not got round to it. I think each piece was 1 yard from a chinese company. Half of what I ordered never turned up but I did get a few bits which give me a selection of different coloured lace. Each length of lace was only 99p and free postage so very cheap.




Originally I pinned each bit on seperately with the idea of sewing each on like that with a gap between the lace pieces but then I had this moment of inspiration where I actually READ the burda instructions which made it so much easier!

The front lining, back and sleeves are some kind of stretch synthetic which is cream. No idea why I bought this since cream is realy not a colour I usually wear but it is just right to make this kind of top so I found a use for it at last. The instructions say to cut out the lace to match the front piece and then to sew the lace pieces together which I did with my overlocker. Then you just sew together the top as you normally would being careful to catch the lace top layer into the seams. It made the whole thing really easy. And fast. 

The pattern is a basic dress pattern McCalls M6612 which I used the top of. It was a pattern I owned already and have used several times over the last year which is funny really because I somehow put it into my basket by accident when buying some other patterns on the internet. In fact I nearly returned this pattern but the postage costs meant it was cheaper to just keep it. My only regret is the front is a bit low but its ok. I can always wear a scarf with it. I may make a second one in a different colour.

One  thing I am still not too sure about is the lace edging which I allowed to stick out at the bottom to give a nice edge but since have wondered about sewing it into the hem so it is in line with the back piece. What do you think? Is it OK to be slightly longer at the front with a lace edge or should it be aligned with the back and lose the lace edging?

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment

Bracken