I like such tunic-y styles, although Dave hates them on me. He prefers me in clothes that are more fitted, but I only listen to him some of the time. I was in any case so eager to start working on the top that I went to look for fabric as soon as I could. I thought a nice slinky sort of drapey fabric would look great in that style. So last Saturday, I took the dog for a nice long walk to our neighborhood fabric store 10 blocks away, where I knew they had a bamboo section with nice slinky. When we got there, there were all these people and a terrier standing mournfully outside the store - there had been a power outage and the store was blanketed in darkness! Having walked all the way there and being anxious to procure some fabric, I took up their offer of a flashlight and tied up Huxley Beagle to the railings and descended into the darkness. A nice young man helpfully held up the flashlight while I tried to make my fabric choices but in the end I gave up. I couldn't see enough of the color and texture to be sure what I was getting, so I told them I would just come back next week.
But I also had a backup plan, you see, which was to hit the other neighborhood fabric store on the way home. What a great neighborhood I live in, abounding with fabric stores within walking distance of my house! (Now, if only they were open on Sundays... but one should just be grateful for what one has, right?) So we went to Darlene's, and I tied up Huxley Beagle at the door and then asked the nice man minding the store if that was OK and he said I should bring him in! What a great day for Huxley Beagle - he loves to follow his human owners wherever they go, although he really wishes it was the meat market he was allowed into, not the fabric store!
They didn't have exactly what I was looking for, which was a nice quality slinky made from natural fibers, but I settled for a drapey slinky in polyester. I figure the tunic was so loose there wouldn't be a breathing problem even if the top was made out of polyester. Now the pattern called for 1 and 3/4 yards of a 60-inch wide fabric and they only had 1 yard left but I bought it anyway, thinking that I would use it for something else if it wasn't enough for the top.
When I laid out the pattern pieces, they just fit on that 1 yard. I had to piece the drawstring tie from two pieces, but that was alright! If I had bought the prescribed 1 and 3/4 yards, I would have had too much fabric left over and there won't have been enough of it to do much with anyway! So it worked out great.
Here is the finished top:
The picture on the right has been adjusted so that you can see the draping on the fabric. It was a really easy top to assemble, or would have been really easy if the fabric wasn't so darn slippery to work with! I really didn't do my usual precise job on the gathered darts but the fabric and style was rather forgiving, luckily. I stabilized the gathered darts as well as the shoulder seams with clear elastic. What a great invention clear elastic is, and to think I didn't use to know what it was! Now I have a great big roll bought for a great price from Cleaner's Supply. (If you sew, check out this place - the best place ever to buy Gütermann thread, zippers, buttons, etc at a great price, and they deliver fast!)
I don't think I'll sew this top again - one is enough, as it is a distinctive style. I haven't worn it yet, still waiting for warmer weather, which is hopefully upon us soon in foggy and rainy San Francisco!
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