McCall’s 6751 Cross-Back Top in Linen

And now, deep into October, it’s finally time to wrap up my 2017 Summer Sewing list.  😉  This top is the last unblogged summer project.

It’s McCall’s 6751, View A, and it has both pros and cons.

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On the pro side, I finally made this top well (see my first attempt, at the beginning of my serious sewing journey here).  I got another chance to sew with linen, which I loved.  It was easy and fast to sew (excluding all the hemming).  I love the look of the fabric and the look of the shirt on the hanger…but I don’t love it on me.  The cons are all personal preference, rather than some sort of problem with the pattern.  I don’t feel secure and covered enough in this shirt.

I thought I would love the back, but I don’t.  It feels like it will shift or blow open at any moment, leaving me feeling uncomfortably exposed.  I also want to wear my normal undergarments without them showing, but you definitely can’t do this with this shirt.  Seems like I conveniently forgot all this from version one.  Haha!

So…I have an idea.  I usually hate going back into projects once they are finished, but I’m not quite ready to give up on this yet.  So, my idea is that I will cut out the back of View C, finish it and attach it as an inner layer.  I have a vintage sheet that looks really nice with this linen, and I think it will be perfect.  If I actually do it, I’ll report back.  🙂

So, how about some details on this project?  There aren’t many, because it was a pretty quick and easy sew.  The fabric was given to me by a friend because I wanted to try sewing linen, and she had some that she wasn’t using.  (Thanks again!)  I made a size large, and since I omitted the pocket, there were only two pattern pieces.  There were no darts or fitting changes.  The only long part was all the hemming, which you do along every edge.  It all went well, though, and was a fun project.

I think a big part of sewing is learning the difference between what you like to look at in fashion and what you will actually wear (and hence, what is worth your sewing time).  I’ve gotten a lot better at this, but I think this project definitely fell into the category of something I liked the idea of that wasn’t realistic for how I actually like to dress.  So now I have a new challenge.  Can I make this shirt work?  We’ll see!

Update

This shirt was really bothering me because, as I mentioned, it just felt too exposed.  I decided to try to save it, and I did!

The front pattern piece is the same for all four views, so first I tried layering View C in a vintage sheet under View A.  That didn’t work because the angle made by the joining of the front and back is different from View A to View C.  After this first attempt, I took the original back off completely and put a new back on.  I like it so much better.

It still has an interesting crossover in the back, but it’s so much more covered and wearable.  I also love the juxtaposition of the two fabrics, although the sheet fabric is not as drapey as the linen.

Finally, I added a pocket in the sheet fabric to the front to pull it all together.

I really like this version.  For drape factor, I wish it were all in linen, but since I didn’t have any more in my stash, I really like what I came up with.  The fabrics look beautiful together, and I salvaged the shirt.  It’s all set for next summer now!  Hooray!

Recommendations

• • I was looking at some of my favorite Etsy shops, and was reminded why I had saved Bias Bespoke as a favorite.  It has so many great tailoring and lingerie supplies as well as things like buttons and trims–a lot of things I don’t normally see.  This one is worth checking out if you sew apparel, especially if you are starting to delve into complex projects and need supplies that are more specialized.
  • A friend of mine introduced me to the art of Kintsugi (as explained in “Kintsugi:  The Centuries-Old Art of Repairing Broken Pottery with Gold“). When you look at some of those pieces, you feel like you understand grace, forgiveness, and redemption in a new way.  And let’s not forget hope.
  • This tutorial for making glitter heels looks fun.  I’m sure you could apply the technique to a whole host of footwear if you wanted to.
  • When you get REALLY into artisanal things… (p.s. This is a joke.  It’s so well done, I wasn’t sure at first.)

 

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