Smocked Top and Shorts

Two fairly quick summer makes for Gaby - a smocked top and a pair of shorts, made out of fabric remnants.

For the smocked top I used a piece of fabric, which was left after I made this short sleeved shirt last summer. I cut a rectangular piece, 1.5 times Gaby's bust circumference, 36 cm length and narrow hemmed the top and the bottom of the piece. Then I did the shirring with white elastic thread at approx. 1.2 mm distance, leaving a hem of 2.5 cm above and 5 cm below the smocked part.

My inspiration for the top was this Gut & Circle Smocked top I found while googling shirred tops. I didn't have enough fabric for wider straps, so mine are narrower. Gaby already wore it once and liked it, though she finds the ties on the shoulders a bit girlish, so I might redo the straps into simple straight straps.
The second make - a one evening pair of shorts, uses the polyester knit remnants from my blue Think Pink Cosy cardigan. The pattern is one I've used before - pants #117 from Burdastyle 05 / 2013. I find the pattern quite well drafted for pants with elasticated waist - the fit is flattering, the pockets are very deep and comfy. Obviously, I shortened the legs, omitted the belt and instead added 2.5 cm wide elastic band.

To finish the legs, I added cuffs, but next time I might just hem the legs, I find no significant difference in the look and hemming is so much easier.

The look from the back - I sewed a small label on the back of the top to mark the back, as otherwise it is almost impossible to distinguish it from the front and it does matter because of the placement of the straps. I still haven't decided where to order my own labels, and I need to, soon :(

Pants #114 Burda 04/2013 and Bailén Top

 My third Bailén Top and a new pair of pencil pants.

As with my other Bailén Tops, I made this top out of fabric remnants from other bigger projects - in this case a Shkatulka shirt I finished earlier this year. The fabric is a very thin viscose, which looks a bit plain, crinkles like nobody's business and has little other to recommend it but its noble color and solid drapability. I had enough fabric to cut the top on the bias and without a seam at the back.

As I'm not a big fan of spaghetti straps,  I modified the top to have wide straps, gathered slightly by a small tab at the front for added interest. This is definitely my most favourite out of my three Bailén tops, solely on account of the wider straps.

The second and more substantial make are the trousers - a relatively simple pattern from Burda 04 / 2013. I had a very limited amount of fabric - about 72 cm, plus some scraps, which I used to cut the cuffs and the belt.
I am fairly confident with Burda patterns, when I make my corrections on the upper part of the body, as I know my measures and how they relate to the Burda block. But I hadn't made pants for myself and I was testing the block. I reduced the pattern pieces 2 cm flat above the crotch and 2 cm above the knee and to achieve the desired length out of my short piece of fabric I added open double cuffs.

The pants have high waist, which is still a bit high on me, even after my correction, so I believe I need to make a petite front rise correction too, removing a triangle of about an inch from the front rise. Still, the fit is fairly good and I'm not a fan of wearing my tops tucked in my pants, anyway.
The pants close with an invisible zipper in the side seam.

The fabric of the pants is 100% polyester, probably a single brushed poly, as it looks smooth like velvet on the outside and textured on the inside. First time using this type of fabric, frays like crazy, but otherwise drapy, comfortable and heavy enough for bottoms.

 Back to bangs!

Happy New Year 2014!

Dear friends, thank you for stopping by my little creative spot and for all of your support and comments, which mean so much to me! I wish you health, joy, happiness and dreams come true in the new year 2014!

I decided to skip the reviews and recapitulations, the promises and the new-year knitting, sewing and stash-managing resolutions this time, just a collage of the things I made during the past year:

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 !