12 June 2012

222. Simplicity 2059 Lisette: "Resort" top

A little joke with myself, this top being "resort wear".  I'm actually taking some time off and away this summer, and when I consider what I should wear, I see practical appeal in designers' "resort" lines.  We're going north, to where the water is warm but the air is cool, and I think I will get to wear some long sleeved shirts!  What?!

You have no idea how exciting it is to me to wear long sleeves in summer.  When we went to Scandinavia 6 years ago, I was in heaven wearing long sleeves, knee socks, jeans, etc. in June.  It's kind of a big deal!



I have a lot of these Lisette patterns, but this Simplicity 2059 is the first one I've sewn.  And it was simple, as I'd hoped.  I used a pinstriped linen and was surprised how fussy it was!  It kept shifting under the pattern pieces, and even the rotary cutter, with a sharp, new blade, couldn't cut two layers of this fabric predictably in one pass.  I doubted the entire time sewing that I'd cut the hem well, and even now I can't tell if the hem is droopier on the left or the right (the photo shows the right side lower than the left, but in real life the opposite appears true.)  At one point, I thought maybe I accidentally bought burlap, this stuff was so coarse!  Pretty sure it's a clear-cut case of heavyweight linen with maybe too much structure for this pattern.  You'll see what I mean in a minute.

Without monkey business, I could have finished this cute little top in 3 hours or less.  "What monkey business?"  Funny you should ask....

  • I thought it needed pockets.  So I cut bias pockets so the stripes would be at a 45 degree angle from the rest of the shirt.  One bright idea begets another...
  • I have this 6mm rolled hem foot.  Seemed like a good idea to use it to finish the pockets.  Only, since the pockets were cut on the bias, they stretched out along the bottom during this brilliant rolled hem process.
  • After deciding to pleat the bottoms of the pockets so they would resemble pockets one would find on clothing, I realized that I'd hemmed both pockets with stripes facing the same direction -- not opposite, as I'd planned.
At which point I found myself tossing about 4-letter-words in my head, and tossing the janky pockets into the remnant pile.  And a good half hour from starting my pocket detour, I was back on track.

Oh, and there was another 30 minutes of monkey business with my serger!  My good serger, not either of the two semi-working sergers I also own.  I rarely serge -- normally french seam everything -- but with the princess seams in the back I decided to serge.  Just a few seams in, a bottom looper thread kept breaking and I couldn't figure out why.  Suddenly, I couldn't believe I denied french seams for this top. But I persisted, got the serger working again, and all was well.


After putting the whole top together, the bottom part of the back suddenly became ominously bulbous.  Like maternity wear, but to accommodate a bump on your lower back.  I mean, it's odd looking.  I've decided I will give this top a trial run and see if sitting in a chair kind of smashes the bulbousness into submission.  If not, I will try to give it a quick press flat with the iron and see if that will hold all day.


Is that an alien from Prometheus protruding from your lower back or are you just happy to see me?

All this assumes I will get used to the fabric!  As a parent, I've read all about that kid who is uncomfortable in their clothes all day -- yanking at necklines that feel too constricting, taking off shoes to adjust the seam of the socks along the toes, clawing at clothing tags.  Did you read about that kid?  I kind of have that kid.  And I WAS THAT KID, totally.  I am still that kid.  This burlappy linen had better break in soon or I will have another garment ready to be made into a bag.

Wrote a review of Simplicity 2059 over at PatternReview.com if you're interested....

17 comments:

  1. it looks like the sleeves are ever so slightly flared, are they really or is that just the angle? And I'm with you on that back...it's....unusual. =)

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    1. The sleeves are straight -- at least the pattern piece shows they should be. :) No, really, they are straight. Yeah, the back... yeah...

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  2. it looks really cute on the dressform!
    i also have issues with scratchy linens & things, they end up bothering me all day sometimes. Can you maybe layer a really lightweight tshirt underneath to cut down on the itch factor?

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    1. I think I will wash it a couple more times before first wear, but the saving grace for this shirt is that it isn't fitted. I think (hope) it will be fine. I do have a camisole I can wear underneath if it makes me bananas. Or I could just make it into a bag. Time will tell!

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  3. hrm about the reverse-pregnancy bump. i wonder if washing this shirt everytime you wash a load of lights would soften up the fabric? i like your idea of pressing it to see if it will stay flat all day. but it looks like a cute top overall.
    awww, clementine has all those pins in her neck! ouch! ;)

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    1. I will try washing it. It's only been through the washer and dryer once, so there's lots of potential for it to soften up. Clementine is really hardcore that way, BTW. Don't underestimate her because she's small. ;)

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  4. Linen definitely gets softer over time, so maybe you just need to throw it in with a few loads of laundry to soften it up. That back bump has confused me, though - I've wondered if I could move it to the front for post-partum, but the darts would be trickier then.

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    1. For ladies without so much bustiness, the back might very well be moved to the front! Never thought of that. There is a little shape to the upper back as a whole, and princess seams make for easy adjustments...

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  5. hmm. looks cute and comfy, from the front at least. We'll see how it softens up/whether the back bump behaves! I might be tempted to try a tie at the waist, but then that ruins the whole cool and looseness of it.

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    1. I don't want to project out to Plan C or D, as I haven't worn it yet. But I have a few loose ideas in mind. Keep you posted... :)

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  6. Oh I have made several garments that were two uncomfortable to wear - one was in wool that was very scratchy, even through a heavy satin lining! another was a lurex fibre and the wires kept poking me from the seams. I did save that by sewing a cotton batiste lining.

    Good luck because it looks like it could be kind of cool, hump back and all ;)

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    1. I've heard of those lurexy, metallicky threads misbehaving. I really like your courage with unusual materials. I bought some lace from the remnant bin today so I could try something new and exotic. :)

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  7. The pattern on the fabric looks very summery to me - I hope it softens up for you! Let us know what happens with the back.

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    1. Going for that east-coast-beachy vibe! Thanks, Sarah.

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  8. I love simple shapes for summer. Love the gathers at the back (as back fat hoarder I can see extra value in this!). The fabric should soften up after a few more washes.

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    1. "Back fat hoarder" -- gave me a nice giggle first thing this morning. I will be sure to throw this top in the wash, as I agree the simple shape is perfect for summer. :)

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  9. I like being able to wear long sleeves in the summer, if only to ensure my arms don't end up too much darker than my legs! I reckon if you don't like the reverse maternity bump, you could always sew the fullness down like pleats.

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