Off season sewing with the Adel Top

Hello everyone!

I hope this week finds you well!  .

Today I am showing you my other sewn item for February, the Adele Top by Empty Hanger Patterns.  I have lumped this in with "off-season" sewing because, when I sewed it, the weather was absolutely unkind at the time!  All I could do was think of what an amazing top this would be once the weather got out of the low 30s and into the high 70s.

So, if you are looking for a great summer tank top, here is one you may want to pay attention to:

This was my second pattern testing with Emily, and I was super impressed by all the helpful adaptations she made from the first time I tested.  It left me with little room for critique!  Instead, there was so many things to love!  The pattern was very easy to assemble, and the stitching lines are marked for easy reference in a light gray.  The order of sewing was still included, and the instructions were a breeze to follow.

In this pattern, the highlight of this top is the decorative panel feature located at the center front.  There were SO many possibilities of adding "bling" to this top.  While some options were given, you could really do anything from mixing and matching fabrics, using the same fabric, or adding your own trims or decorative thread applications. 

I wanted to make a couple more tops so that you could get an idea of the versatility, but I admit it...I just didn't get around to it.  However, somewhere in my list of summer sewing, this top will re-emerge for some creative fun.

For my top, I made a size 38.  The fabric is a lovely cotton knit from Hobby Lobby that I got on sale.  It has a T-shirt feel, but drapes well.  I don't buy many fabrics from Hobby Lobby, but they are starting to carry a larger selection of knits, so I will definitely re-visit them for that reason.  My only adjustments were to lengthen by 1" and do a forward shoulder of 1/4."

Here is a close-up of the decorative panel.  I cut out different fabric pieces to see which color would look best, and the darker stripe from the fabric looked the best.  As you can see, the wide stripes run diagonally on the fabric, so it created a bit of a visual twist, but I don't mind it.

Due to the construction of the panel, there is a front and back facing you put in.  I am always concerned with facings that won't stay, and usually don't care for them.  However, the process of understitching and sewing the seam down really helps it all to lay well. Aside from having to remove an additional 3/8" to the shoulder seams, I really love the way this top fits and wears.  It will be great for lounging when the warmer weather hits Georgia again.

Overall, I am glad to have another tank top to add to my arsenal!  I am beginning to feel more confident as we enter the warmer sewing season--you know, the place where tops go sleeveless, skirts are flowy, and shorts have less fabric to fit, lol!!  All kidding aside, none of those things scare me (and they shouldn't scare you either) but I do love how sewing changes this time of year.

If you are interested in Empty Hanger Patterns, you can go check out Emily's wonderful patterns here.  

Stay sew-filled!