I almost called this post "dudded", because that's how I felt after I first tried my original version of this top on.
You see I made the fatal mistake of thinking that my top would turn out looking like the pattern illustration; loose but not overly baggy, a kind of woven spliced tee.
(Now funnily enough I've just read this post by Gertie explaining pattern illustrations vs reality ,in her case with regards to vintage patterns, but I think it's pretty much still true today).
What I got was a baggy top with MUCH longer than expected sleeves (please note I made view "A").
Now in hindsight (and after trying it on for the first time) I realised that a woven dolman sleeve top with no fastenings whatsoever was going to need to have a fair bit of ease to be able to get it on/off and actually move around in it! Also the fact that there were no darts anywhere suggested that it wouldn't have much shape.
Duh. Yeah it was one of those "lightbulb" moments when I finally figured this ;P
But the sleeves,oh the sleeves!
On the illustration (yep there I went again taking a pattern drawing to be absolute gospel) they looked to end halfway between shoulder and elbow....
But in reality they were much closer to actual elbow length (more like view "B").
Now I'm 5ft 9", so not short by any definition, but I still had to hack off at least 2 inches to get the top to look somewhat more like what I was expecting. This was done progressively by trying it on then trimming a bit off each time until I got the sleeves where I wanted. I actually changed the angle of the sleeve end as well during the trimming, making it a more "steeper" angle than the original, as that's what looked better to my (amateur) eye.
To tell the truth by this stage of the project I thought the whole thing was going to be a total wadder and was desperate to try and save it in any way. I was so miffed at having used my lovely blue and white fabric (that had been gifted to me by a friend) that I was pretty brutal with the roller cutter.
It could have very easily gone quite badly...or at least have turned into a sleeveless tank top ;)
The original sleeves were also much wider than expected. I felt like someone wearing one of those costumes where the sleeves are made from aircon vent tubes (never seen one? I did try to find you a picture, lets just say when you google "foil" "costume" and "man" some pretty strange things come up!), they felt that weird and billowy.
Again I realised that with a dolman sleeve they would have to be pretty wide, otherwise you would never be able to raise your arms. Hindsight is a smug so-and-so some days.
I made this top one size below what the size guide recommended (I did check the finished garment measurements first to make sure they were bigger than my own bust and waist) and can only imagine how much looser it would have been if I have made it in my "proper" size.
To be continued....
Lolita patterns launched their "Gunmetal" dress/top pattern last week and I was lucky enough to be one of those involved in testing the pattern.
While not a style that I would usually wear (anyone who knows me would not class me as "Goth" or "Lolita style" in any way - my wardrobe is more "simple stuff that I can do mum stuff in") I do think this is a pretty nifty little pattern, one that has the potential for many more "looks" (as evident from other testers interpretations which you can read about here).
To my "amateur" home sewist eye it appears well drafted - seamlines matched up where they should and the fit was pretty spot on for my chosen size (a 16 which corresponded with my measurements).
The fact that the pattern is offered in TWO size ranges ( 2 -14 and 16 -24) is a nice change for independent patterns. With a lot of other indie pattern companies only offering a "standard " sizing range (often petering out at the 14/16 mark) and others specialising in mainly in plus sized ranges (leaving out the lower end of sizes), its nice to see an company that is trying to be more inclusive, catering to women of all shapes and sizes in the one pattern.
The only thing I would wonder about is what would happen if you were in between sizes- or had wild variances between your upper and lower body sizes. This issue could also easily happen with the "Big Four" commercial patterns who sometimes spread their patterns over both a "plus" and "regular" size range- the difference here is you wouldn't be forking out again for a second size range if you decided that you needed it.
The instructions are well explained and illustrated. This pattern was described as "easy" for skill level but it's has a lot more detail than standard commercial "easy" patterns- so expect to be committing a fair bit more time to your project, but then again that's how you end up with all the lovely details ;)
That said the actual steps themselves are pretty straightforward, you are just working with many pattern pieces.
The hardest step I found was gathering the ruched panels, the pattern suggest sewing one continuous line of stitching to gather three separate areas of stitching.
If I made this pattern again I would sew individual gathering stitch lines for each separate area - with breaks in between each area- as I found that in pulling the thread to gather one area I would often distort previously gathered sections on the same fabric piece.
I would also sew two lines of gathering stitching next time, as quite often my fabric would "catch" on the gathering thread and I couldn't gather beyond that point.
I actually quite liked the look of the bodice before the sleeves were set in and am thinking that a sleeveless version might be on the cards next time and would work in with my wardrobe/lifestyle.
One of the features I LOVED most about this pattern are the gathered panels down the sides . I think the bodice could be lengthened and the peplum/skirt left off to make more of this feature as a top or even carried on down the sides of a straight skirt addition, turning it into a figure hugging style dress.
The fact that you can change the look of this pattern by overlaying different fabrics is an interesting option giving lots of scope for creativity- and is great for those of us who shop mainly in the thrift/fabric sale section! What was originally an offcut too small to make anything from suddenly becomes a feature panel :D
In case you missed the links above you can read more about the Gunmetal pattern (and follow the sew along) here at Lolita Patterns.
After the Sugar Plum dress and Fuschia skirt I'll be intrigued as to what they'll come up with next ;)
Definitely one to keep an eye on !
Happy Sewing!
Kate x
