Today I bring you a pair of tops, one is a wearable toile (a sizing test that I liked enough to keep), the other is the so-called Dead Kennedys top.
The pattern was a freebie from Simply Sewing mag, the first I have used of theirs. For my views on the pattern and instructions, keep reading.
For the toile, I used some black jersey I had in the stash. This was bought from amazon a long time ago so I’m no longer sure of the composition, but I’m fairly sure it was a viscose elastane. Very, very drapey and super comfortable to wear. The circle skirt I made with it was a disaster as you can imagine as the hem ended up being horribly uneven.
I cut a straight size 18 with no adjustments (I mean it’s jersey, who could be bothered?) and sewed it up in a couple of hours. I’d been painstakingly sewing the Mimi blouse at the same time and just wanted to finish something quick. The recovery is awful and I suspect it will be in the bin in 3 months time, but my goodness if it isn’t the most comfortable, practically pajamas work top I’ve ever had. Despite being tent-like in proportions, I think it’s also somewhat flattering too.
So, onto the second iteration, what I’m referring to as my Dead Kennedys top. Check out the print – check it out perfectly lining up with my copy of Fresh Fruits for Rotting Vegetables. Check it out also blending beautifully with Stations of the Crass. This fabric is punk, it belongs here!
There’s nothing quite as punk as stitching up a sensible stretchy top to wear to the office *cough*. Anyway…this time I opted for a 16 as the waistband on the 18 was very baggy. I was fully prepared for a different finish here as the black and white fabric is significantly less drapey with a much better recovery. I have no idea what the composition is, but it’s 4 way stretch and much thicker than the viscose. This was a remnant purchased off ebay.
I had no issues putting it together except that I have a horrible feeling that the needle that was put back in the ballpoint needles box was not in fact ballpoint. I had to re-thread the machine about 30 times as the thread shredded itself to pieces, still making do is kinda punk right? I’m not some corporate monkey, using the correct needle for the fabric is for crypto-fascist warmongers, me and Jello Biafra refuse to follow your rules! You don’t see the Subhumans pressing all their seams, Penny Rimbaud scoffs at those who pre-wash their fabric!
Reflections
These were easy as pie to make but I should note that the instructions were a bit sparse. I know it’s obvious that you need to sew, but the instructions went from: ‘pin X and Y together’ to ‘give it all a final press’. It also didn’t mention anywhere the need to stretch your neck band, waistband and sleeve bands to fit the bodice – it’s obvious if you’ve worked with jersey before but if you hadn’t you might be thinking you’d cut the wrong size pieces by a significant margin.
I in fact forgot about the stretching rules at one point and have ended up with a gape on one side – don’t tell anyone k?
As much as I’d like to imagine myself as an anarcho-syndicalist living on a commune with Crass, I do in fact work for the ‘man’ (or woman in fact), so in that vein I’d highly recommend following the rules of engagement for knits here: use a ballpoint needle, don’t struggle through for heaven’s sake like I did. And I really, really should have done a few tests to get the tension right first rather than arsing about with a seam ripper for half the night. Oh yeah, and it really isn’t punk to finish the seam allowances on jersey, so why did I waste my time doing that?
All in all though, I’m pretty chuffed, they are comfy, the maternity vibe is not so strong here, and anyone who knows me knows that I can;t resist a boat neck – so I’m happy. One visible bra strap good, 2 visible bra straps better.
Final word:
Q. How many anarchists does it take to change a light bulb?
A. We don’t want to change it we want to smash it!
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