Sunday 16 February 2014

I made a top!

Here is my version of the Plantain top from Deer and Doe.  Deer and Doe are a small independent dressmaking pattern maker from France.  The Plantain top pattern is free!  You download it as a pdf, print it out then stick all the pages together and voila, you have your pattern.  Plantain tops, complete with their elbow patches, were popping up everywhere on the internet and if you look here, you can see the best!

I am an avid follower of the Minerva Crafts Blogger Network.  Oh!  How I wish I lived nearer to this wonderful shop!  It is in Harrogate in the north of England and looks like heaven with all kinds of fabric from dressmaking to quilting, every kind of crafting tool, papercrafts, paints, inks etc.  The blogger network showcases makes from some of the best sewers and crafters in the country.  They each make one thing per month, and Minerva Crafts offers a kit for sale to make the item. 

When Kathryn who blogs at Yes I like that came up with a leopard print Plantain top, I just knew I had to have the kit! The kit came with 2m of fabric, matching thread and 1m of stretchy black binding for the neck. And it was so easy to make! The fabric is a Ponte, so a bit stretchy, but quite thick – lovely and warm!   After reading Kathryn’s blog post I decided that I too would like a higher neckline, so drew it in about 1.5” above the pattern.  I cut the hips a size bigger than the top, and even flared it out a bit more than that.  I love the finished shape!  It fits, but not too snuggly, and doesn’t look too big on the top.   The only thing I struggled with was joining the neck binding, and if you look closely you’ll see that I stretched the neckline a bit in that area. 

So you’d like to see a picture, huh?  Well, here I am, wearing the new top with bootleg jeans and black ankle boots.  I have to say that I don’t normally wear these colours, my colour palette is much more autumn.  But I do love my new top! (And the best accolade… my 22yo daughter says it doesn’t look handmade!)

craft 003craft 004craft 005craft 011

9 comments:

Karen said...

Great fabric, and a very flattering style!

Sian said...

It's really flattering Linda. It looks fantastic! I'm going to be following your links to find out more now

yesilikethat said...

Hi Linda, I love this top! It looks beautiful with your jeans, I'm so glad you liked the kit.

yesilikethat said...

Hi Linda, I love this top! It looks wonderful with your jeans, I'm so glad you liked the kit. It really suits you.

Chicken Licken said...

Ooo that is very nice! Well done you!

Shari said...

Linda - this top looks great on you. You did a great job with sewing. Love the elbow patches!

alexa said...

You look great in it, Linda, and it's a lovely, lovely top. You have so many interesting links that it has taken me quite a while to get back to you here :).

CrystalMoonCat said...

You did brilliantly with this. Love the fit and the fabric.

Luv from another Linda xx

Maria Ontiveros said...

Great job with your tunic; it's very fashionable.
Rinda