Showing My Stripes

OK, let's get the ball rolling with some photos (sorry that the dress-form is too wide for the shoulders, but it'll give you some idea while I sit here with greaseball hair):

StyleArc Demi-Drape Top - Altered from the first version I made yesterday per this post...Though I realize it looks like the hem is rolling, it's not. I just didn't organize it over the fabric cover of my dress form.

I didn't have the luxury of pattern-matching (mercifully) cuz I was working with an odd shaped remanant of this fabric. The stripes match visually across the arms and back, though, which is a happy accident.

I have so much to say, it's gonna take a while. So get yourself a snack.

For starters, I used up 3 yards of fabric in this two-phased process, which is awesome, cuz yesterday I bought 6 more. What!? I told you I'm on a binge. How can you be on a binge if you don't binge?

Which brings us to Side Bar One:

Here are swatches of what I bought yesterday, all from Gorgeous Fabrics:

Heather grey light-weight sweatshirt fabric, with flat backing

 This is for when I get the urge to make some chic sweatpants or the Victory Patterns Lola dress.

Then I got this:

Cheetah Print Rayon Jersey (a designer fabric, I think)

...because everyone has bamboozled me with Jungle January and now I feel I need animal print in my wardrobe too. I want to make this with it:

StyleArc Issy Top

Um, can you believe this is StylArc's free Feb. pattern of the month. And, I did join the StyleArc club, fyi. Got a free pattern (made replacing the Janet Jacket less miserable that way), will get a gift, special deals and 10% off each pattern. Let's see if this lives up to the hype.

Anyway, I think this top will be very chic in that fabric.

I also got more of that Soft and Lightweight Italian Jersey that I bought in two shades to make the original Demi-Drape top (unphotoed so far, made yesterday).

I really love this fabric and I'm getting more before it's no longer available.

OK, back to the Demi-Drape Top...

I made these alterations:

I added 1 inch at hips, tapering to nothing at waist. And I shallowed up the cowl to give extra fabric for draping over the boobs.

It fits perfectly. (I don't know if I've ever said that about anything I've made before.) So here's an instance where putting in the time has paid off.

Now, having said this, would it have been prudent not to make the shell in wide stripes, given that the thing is very fitted from waist to hip?? I mean, let's say you're trying to hide your perimenopausal stomach. Don't use wide stripes, is my advice. Mind you, I'm going to wear it happily, despite this.

Weirdly, that seagrass rayon I used for the underlay, manages to be 8 colours at once: it's kind of brown, kind of yellow, kind of grey, kind of green, a bit taupe... Somehow, though it's not in the colour palette of the cool blue and grey shell fabric, it works. Who can say why?

So there you go. I'm sure I'm going to wear the pants off this thing. Whatcha think??