Friday, January 4, 2013

TSW Stella and Ann's Tank - A Little Sparkle

TSW coordinates - knits not washed yet
I read Linda Lee's blog on The Sewing Workshop site.   Her mid-Dec post inspired me to pull out this interesting crinkle cotton knit with a fine gold metallic stripe running through it for some tops.    OK it's not sequins, but close enough for me.   I bought it from Casual Elegance a few years ago to coordinate with cocoa brown fabrics and garments.   The color works beautifully with the 8th Avenue Skirt I sewed about five years ago.   So I sewed these up and waited to wash them the first time before wearing/taking photos of me in them because sewing/pressing removed the crinkle in the fabric that makes it so interesting.    When I sew another Ann's Tank top I will used the neckline binding treatment from the eDress pattern.   I just turned under 3/8" and think the neckline needs taking in, which the binding cut on the crossgrain will accomplish.   Knits don't ravel so I left the seams on both, the sleeve edges and bottom edges of the Tank unfinished so the knit could curl.      The Stella tops all have the double cowl (cut on the fold)  and the hems finished.

So here are photos of both tops on me.   I wore the metallic stripe knit Stella Cowl and 8th Ave skirt today.    Love this skirt shape and need to sew up another.     I have just enough of the knit stripe left to use for the bottom of an eDress or eSkirt.    We'll see what it works with.



Before sewing those two, I sewed up another Stella top in a warmer fleecy knit also from CE.   Not sure if any of you remember the original TSW Cowl Neck top pattern, but this one is greatly improved with lots of shape, and the cowl is nice for fall/winter to cover and warm your neck, but with lots of ease and drape.  I love it with the TSW camel hair Now Shirt jacket and the camel lambskin skirt and the black 4-ply silk One Seams.    It was actually sleeting while the sun was shining the day these photos were taken.


12 comments:

  1. Very stylish and chic! Love the colours on you - all are very flattering.

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  2. Gorgeous! You make me want to buy the patterns.

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  3. Thank you Judith and Bev. I really needed some long sleeve tops with neck coverage and this fit the bill. Plus I wanted to try out the Ann's Tank with the sleeves.

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  4. Those look great! Nice to see how the new pieces coordinate with others. How do you keep such a wide neck on your shoulders? I need bra strap retainers or they slip off constantly. But then I have very narrow shoulders!

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    1. Thank you Louisa. I have square shoulders but this neckline is way too wide for me and the top hardly stays on a hanger unless it's one of those flocked ones. I've decided to remove the topstitching and insert a wider crossgrain binding on this one, as well as future tops from this pattern. The pattern neckline is the same as the eDress but really needs the binding to work for me and most of us. I'll post the results.

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  5. Yes, you look very chic. You have a little wardrobe of beige/tan/browns. I like your sparkle pieces. I never quite know what to do with a crinkle fabric when I sew it.

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    1. Thank you Gwen. I had fun with the crinkles and let this knit do what it wanted to do. I had to be careful not to press too much to remove them when cutting and sewing.

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  6. Terri K, I'm glad to see you sharing your sewing projects with us -- I've missed seeing them for a while. You look wonderful -- strong and healthy. Who'd have thought just a year ago, that you would be where you are now. I'm so happy for the health you've regained. And these coordinates look lovely!

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    1. Thank you Sandra. Sometimes I have these dark thoughts of "it's too good to be true" but we hope that this is all over. Time will tell. BTW I got a "free" eSkirt out of what was left over from the two tops. Had to piece the back lower band but it looks great. Will post photos when I get a chance.

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  7. Love all the outfits and they look so well fit as well as super chic, ( I think we share the same taste in clothing!) LOVE that wonderful fit on your 4 ply silk One Seam Pants! Absolutely perfect! Before I cut into my 4 ply I need to do some final tweaking on the pant but I am almost 1005 satisfied,,,so so close~ I love how well that pant drapes, too many ladies go for the tighter pant look when a well draped pant in good fabric would go a long way in their wardrobes! I for one like all my pants to be on the loose side for comfort. I especially like the way the waist treatment is done on the OSP, no added fluff there from the waistband,,,,,,,,yes the patterns are pricey initially, but they become TNTs which is worth its weight in gold
    Lovely lovely outfits, Terri!

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  8. Others have commented on your lovely sewing, but I just wanted to say I LOVE your spike-heel boots :-)

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    1. Thank you kushami! Those are Adrienne Vittadini boots I bought while in Tampa killing time at the International Mall before my flight back to DC left. It was January 2006 and the shop wasn't selling a lot of boots in FL - Go figure? So all of them were 75% off. Gorgeous Italian boots lined in metallic leather. So I bought 3 pair and they shipped them to me! I think all her shops have been closed in the years since.

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