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.
Sandra said:
Absolutely gorgeous! You really do suit the shorter tops. Those pants also look gorgeous – did you drop the original waistband before adding the yoga band? They would be so comfortable for travel. Regards, S
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Rivergum said:
Yes, I had to cut the waistband away or the yoga band would have ended up under my armpits! I did quite a wide yoga band and fold this down, except when wearing a short top needing more coverage.
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Roxane said:
Wow, shortening the top really did make a difference. I am really curious about this Australian bengaline. I have some RTW pants in a fabric that reminds me a bit of old-school bengaline, but it does get creased behind the knees, and it is a bit stiff, so I don’t know whether it is the same thing. I know I can order some from Style Arc. Thornberry is a fan, too.
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Rivergum said:
Australian Bengaline has a similar composition to Ponte, except it is a woven. There are two versions, viscose/poly/lycra and viscose/Nylon/lycra. The latter is by far superior. There can be a poly/Lycra variety too, which is cheap and nasty and to be avoided at all cost.
The Bengaline part refers to the weave. Original Bengaline was a sort of jacquard with horizontal ribs. Australian bengaline is visually uniform, no stripey bits are visible. Instead the stripes are in the weave, providing the stretch. You need to cut crossways, as the stretch of the fabric is perpendicular to the selvage.
I mostly bought my Bengaline stash at The Remnant Warehouse https://theremnantwarehouse.com/fabrics/bengalines.html. They have some good ones and their prices are great. I think they ship overseas.
I sing the praises of Bengaline for pants far and wide, and I have had one person protesting that her experience was disappointing. But I suppose you can pick up bad versions of good fabric. I would have had 10-12 pairs of Bengaline pants over the years, and while some went out of fashion or the colour was problematic after a while, all of them have worn like iron. So good luck with it if you want to try.
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Roxane said:
Thanks for the lengthy description! I can only wonder why this miracle fabric hasn’t made its way over here. I shall try some!
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Christine Trory said:
Really like what you have done with the Mandy pattern. The shorter length looks great on you with those pants. A combination I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of.
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Rivergum said:
Thanks Christine. I didn’t think to make it shorter until I ran into fabric restrictions on another top. Blessing in disguise!
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Vancouver Barbara said:
What a great top. The colour and style really suits you. The pants are great too. Did you make version A, B, or C?
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Rivergum said:
Version AB. I think the difference between A and B is in length, but not sure. I have played with the length in various makes of this pattern.
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PATTI B said:
You made the right choice to shorten this top. The longer one just looks too big while the short one is stylish. Great tip about the 8712 pant waist.
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Rivergum said:
Yes, works really well if your fabric is stretchy enough.
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melaniedunkley said:
Fabulous fabric and perfect pattern for it. I used to be inspired to make clothes from furnishing fabrics years ago and have recently seen some Dandy London jackets on pinterest made from William Morris fabrics. Actually I saw on Instagram that H&M fashion chain in the UK had a range of clothes in William Morris designs printed on lightweight Summer fabrics. They look amazing.
It’s interesting to hear about your design choices and I really like your style.
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