Kicking off Jungle January!

Last year around this time, I started off Jungle January by sewing an outfit for one of Myra's Barbies. Little did I know that this would be the start of a new hobby that would bring me such joy! Of course, this year I could do no different. My girls love leopard as much as I do!

And so, Roxy got a new top! I used a diagram I found on Pinterest to roughly draft this top. It is extremely simple, with only one pattern piece, as front and back are the same. I thought the asymmetrical sleeves were interesting, but I wish I had made the long sleeve a little longer. It almost looks like an afterthought here.

Even well articulated dolls aren't as flexible as a human, so I added a snap closure to the shorter shoulder seam. I want to try this pattern again in a thinner jersey, as the seam would open and give a flutter effect. This ITY is pretty beefy, so it stands up and just looks like a seam.

But Roxy's not the only one rocking the leopard! I also made a similar style top for me. This is Kwik Sew 3694, which I've made a couple of times before and really love. It's a crazy simple top, particularly as I skipped the drawstring this time and just let the negative ease in the hip do the ruching.

I bound the neckline with black. Roxy says she likes the additional element, and wants me to do that to hers next time. We'll see... Teeny bindings are a pain.

This cotton jersey (from FabricMart) is on the thin side, so it has a nice drape. It works well in the hip area, where a heavier fabric might add bulk. The holidays added enough bulk without my clothes helping out.

I really what a fun look this is from such a simple pattern. I love a good leopard top!

Roxy and I are both pretty pleased with our new tops. I have some more tweaks I want to do to the pattern for Roxy, but I know I'll wear mine a ton.

Roxy wants to know how your Jungle January is going. Have you cut out some leopard? Cheetah? Snake? The sky is the limit! Come join us in the Jungle!

Kwik Sew 3694 in stripes

For Christmas, one of my gifts was a gift card to Hancock's fabrics, and when I saw a fabulous brown and metallic gold uneven striped knit there, I immediately thought of Kwik Sew 3694, which I have wanted to make in a stripe since I made it a few months ago (here). It was quite a thin knit, and I was concerned that I wouldn't like it, since my first version is a beefy rib knit and I love it. I even mentioned in my review on PR that I thought this top would be best rendered in a heavier knit.

I'm going to have to go back and edit my review. I love this in a thinner knit!! And the stripes are so fun. I love the way they wrap around and chevron at the seams.

Here is a close up of the sleeve and side seams. Matching the stripe on this top initially was a head scratcher for me, but I was really just overthinking it. All you have to do is be sure that your hemline (which is straight across the cross grain, and therefore parallel to a horizontally striped knit) is lined up at the same stripe in your pattern repeat, and the rest of the stripes will fall into place.

I'm not sure how many more of this style top I need in my wardrobe, but I love this pattern so much, I might have to make another. I'll definitely be trying out the cap sleeved version without the ties for summer.

Next up I am making a pair of black ponte knit pants as my first piece in Lori and Lynne's Wardrobe Basics Sew Along.

I definitely need some wardrobe basics! Hopefully this will help keep me from getting distracted by the next shiny fabric that comes my way...

Kwik Sew 3694

In the interest of sparking a little sewing mojo, I went hunting for a quick and easy knit top pattern. The last time Kwik Sew went on sale, I picked up 3694 on a whim.

You can't get much more quick and easy than this - 3 pattern pieces and only a couple of seams. The only tricky part was the layout. Since the pieces are asymmetrical, you have to lay them out in a single layer on 60 inch wide fabric. You do need the width, too. This pattern is a serious fabric hog!

The front and back pattern pieces differ only in the neckline, so all the seams are the same - no easing, just sew. I chose to make the small size, even though the pattern measurements put me squarely in the medium size range. I was going for a somewhat closer fit than the envelope models.

The casing on the side is formed with the seam allowances of the side seam, which are stitched down on either side and a self fabric spaghetti strap is laced through the casings and drawn up to gather the side. I bound the neckline with my coverstitch machine, so I didn't use the facing strip included in the pattern.

The fabric is used is a rib knit from fabric.com. It was originally a creme color, but I accidentally washed it with some bright red yardage, so now it is a pinkish tie dye. Oops. I used it as a wearable muslin of sorts, since I wasn't sure about the style. I really like it, but now I'm not sure that I want to use the fabric I had initially paired it with. It is a very fine jersey with a soft gold finish. It's very drapey, which is so different from this firm rib knit. I'm not sure I'll like it as well, but I do have a couple of interlocks I think would be awesome.