Latest version of the Relax a Little Top

Here is the one I worked on today sans buttonholes/buttons that I will put on tomorrow.   The difference between this one and my first Relax a Little top is that it is 6" longer and I used the larger pockets and placed them lower on the blouse.    This one is in a woven black/white pima cotton shirting that looks gray.    I love it belted. The fabric under the top is the sheer viscose abstract that I bought from Louise at the Atlanta Expo.   I also bought the coordinate in linen.   You can see the fabric detail in the photos below.

 I enjoy the journey of fine garment construction and sewing.  When I'm finished I have a unique garment of the quality that women pay hundreds of dollars for at high end stores.    I visited the Neiman Marcus Last Call store while I was in Atlanta last week.   The manager recognized me from my last visit, and complemented me on my outfit.   When I told her I sewed everything I was wearing,  she said she thought I was wearing a top designer label - nice!   Today I finished construction of a lovely sleeveless shirt with a yoke using the Relax a Little pattern by Louise Cutting.   I worked on this top for two days.    The inspiration for my latest top was Louise's shirt (photo below) sewn in a fine black Tasmanian wool that she had at the Atlanta Expo.     She said she cut the shirt 6" longer so that it could be worn belted if she chose to.

I have enjoyed all of the possibilities of this lightweight wool/silk plaid shirt I made when the pattern was first issued, so I knew that I had to make a longer one. 

Here is a photo of my technique for even top-stitching using a Shurtape masking tape on my machine.  This also shows you the detail of the black and white fabric.

Here is the Viking left edge top stitching foot, designed for Viking by Louise when she was a Viking dealer in Florida, that I use to edge-stitch the collar band.  I believe that Louise Cutting's patterns are drafted to achieve the most perfect collars.  The markings and comprehensive pattern instructions enable you to easily achieve perfection.    It's not fast sewing, and I sure make lots of mistakes because of the neuropathy in my fingers.  That's why I have the lit magnifying glass attached to the table beside my sewing machine so I can rip out the threads and sew it right.   But perfection never is fast.