Mccalls 7873

Hello everyone!

The time has come for me to reveal my January Sew Your View garment!  Without further ado, here is what I created:

As you can see, I had a lot of fun with STRIPES! Even though I was originally inspired by sweater and textured knits of all kinds, after pulling out my stash I just wasn't inspired by what I had to choose from.  I even headed to Hobby Lobby and Joanns in order to see if I could spark a decision for this pattern, but nothing clicked.  Then, while putting away all the fabrics that did not work, I happened upon this rayon blend knit.  I bought it last year for a top I never made, so it was folded on the shelf waiting to be used.

The more I looked at it, the more I liked the idea of playing around with the orientation of the stripes, since this style lends so easily to the pattern.  So I went from this:

To this:

Isn't it funny how that happens?  

Just so you know that I am making efforts to use my planner this year (lol), here is my project planning sheet for this garment.  I started out tracing the line drawing, but it was so HUGE I went back and freehanded it.  I am not the best at drawing, but I did like getting a vision of what I was creating.  I will go back to add the fabric swatch later.

As you can see, I sewed a size S, graded to a M ever so slightly at the waist.  Since this top is oversized, I went down one size.  For me, I did not desire to be swimming in fabric, though I could have possible sewn a straight size M instead.  Seeing the final result, I am really glad I decided to size down.  It fits me as I expected, and that is nice.

Other than sizing, I made no other adjustments.  The construction of the garment was beginner friendly, and very much like a puzzle.  Mind your markings, and you will have no issues.  However, I did slow down some to make sure I didn't sew pieces in upside down (done that before).  

The cold shoulder part of the top is finished off with a narrow hem, and I did tweak this feature some by closing off the seam an additional 1.25 inches on the front and back, so that it didn't expose as much of my shoulder.  I guess you can say my cold shoulder is more of a "peek-a-boo" shoulder, lol!  In any regard, I really like that, and it makes it more comfortable to wear.

The cuffs are awesome, but I always love a good cuff.  Also, the dropped shoulder is a style I don't have much of in my wardrobe so I look forward to hanging this in my closet.  I will also say I am still getting used to the asymmetrical hem.  I am not sure if this will be my go-to style, but it has been so much fun creating this style and trying something new.  

Overall, I am thankful to be participating in the Sew Your View challenge, and look forward to what next month's pattern will bring!

I will be back next week with an update of how my jacket is shaping up, as well as a rundown for the month of January.

Stay sew-filled!