Scarlett O’Hara in ‘Gone with the Wind’ is not the only one who can make the most out of a curtain. I have always found home dec fabrics to be a treasure trove of opportunities, especially for interesting jackets, but really for any garment that needs a bit more structure and a heavier gauge. Furnishing silks, cottons and linens all have found their way into my wardrobe over the years and have been very happy there. With fashion fabric becoming scarce, home dec can really expand your options.

This top is a bit of a twist on that theme, not only is it made from curtain fabric, but from curtain fabric that matches my new kitchen. IKEA clearly liked the design so much that they made it into yardage (metrage?) as well as laminate meant for kitchen backsplash panels. You may remember these from my blog post when we were doing our reno.

Well, here is what it looks like as a garment, though a bit more green than blue toned, which is a photographic quirk.

After my tunic mania in the last couple of years I wanted to make something decidedly anti-tunic. Short but still boxy and oversized, and I thought the Tessuti Mandy Boat neck tee pattern, minus the sleeves might fit the bill as a starting point.

The body pattern pieces have a tiny cut on sleeve stub to allow you to set the sleeve in flat, which you can’t see in the line drawing above. I had to widen this quite a bit, as it was narrow on the original even for a stretch knit. A woven doesn’t have the same sort of give in it, plus my upper arms may be a tad larger than the model’s. Around 40cm circumference is about right for me, plus I added fold back cuffs. If you are interested in the nitty-gritty of the sewing, the details are on PatternReview.

For those of you who don’t want the hassle of fiddling around adapting a pattern, there are a few offerings around by indie companies, one of them the Bo Top by Seamwork.

I have not tried this pattern and am in no way affiliated with the pattern company, but it looks very similar, with the sleeves a fair bit wider perhaps.

The Mandy pattern is a bit too long to perfectly suit this variation, and I had to make a large second hem to bring it up to high hip level. I think it looks better shorter, but you be the judge comparing the first and second photo below.

The pants I am wearing are Vogue 8712 by Marcy Tilton, my favourite pattern, although I have never blogged about them because slouchy black pants don’t photograph at all well. For a better idea of what they look like than I can produce, here are the pattern photos.

These pants have an Oska-type look and are a great supporting cast for almost everything. I make them using Australian bengaline, which is the best pants fabric ever, doesn’t wrinkle, bag or pill and the stretchiness of the bengaline makes them superbly comfy to wear. The addition of a yoga waistband raises the comfort level to maximum, and also keeps my midriff covered when worn with such a short top.