LILAC LINEN McCALL'S 7900 - PUFFY SLEEVE DREAMS!
You may have noticed, I’ve been on a roll with linen, and I hate to waste scraps. So, it makes sense that I’ve been building a little pile of white linen remnants, but I’ve gotten sick of using white! Enter this puffy sleeved dream of a top, that uses just a little bit of fabric, perfect for squeezing out of scraps….and a couple bottles of Rit Dye!
I wanted to make something with a low fabric requirement and/or small pattern pieces, so I wouldn’t have to patch anything together. Preferably a pattern I had sewn before, so the whole process would go smoothly and I wouldn’t have to think too much about fitting or sewing. McCall’s 7900, View B fit the bill….sort of: I had sewn it before (different view, C) but the fit was odd (baggy through the shoulders & upper bust), so I considered it a muslin. I transferred my alterations to the pattern as my first step.
No, I am not precious about paper patterns. I hate altering the tissue. I am accurate, but I want to get to sewing, so I do what is necessary. The front bodice and front bodice facing were the only pieces I needed to alter.
Once I had the pattern sorted, I laid it out on my scraps. Everything fit, but I had to cut the sleeves on cross grain. It’s important to adhere to pattern grain lines, but this is a stable, plain weave fabric, so I knew it would be fine. I gathered up the scraps, and tossed them in a dye pot with some Rit Dye. I combined Petal Pink and Purple dyes with some salt in a pretty diluted dye bath, and let it boil for about 20 minutes before pulling the fabric out and tossing it in the washer and dryer.
I used 2 capfuls of Petal Pink, 3/4 capful purple, 2 tablespoons salt….and a pile of scraps. I dyed more fabric than I needed, just in case.
This color came out exactly as I envisioned….maybe even better! Though linen is a matte fabric, the color has unexpected depth, and shifts between pink and purple, depending on the light.
Resin & glitter bangles, and tiny Magic Eye necklace, are all Buried Diamond (made by me).
I knew I needed special buttons. I found these gorgeous, heavy abalone shell buttons at Pacific Trimming. I’ve made a few garments with flower shaped buttons recently - it feels so special.
Sometimes I forget how satisfying it is to sew tops - don’t sleep on em! They’re fun to make and faster than a dress. I’ve already worn this twice, enough to know I should make another one in black. Hopefully I can get to it soon, but first I have to make some major repairs to some pants that I screwed up last night. Oof. Ok, ttyl XO Martha