This top was one that I was going to make to go along with my stash busting outfit, but it was a bit too much all together.  The Challenge Create – Adult Edition results were released starting on Tuesday, and I was the lowest scoring.  Ah well, I got some fun prizes!  One was a Spoonflower gift certificate, so I am going to make up a design to print on some of their newer fabrics I haven’t tried yet.

Onward…

This is a satiny material with a very slight stretch to it.  I decided to make a loose cowl sleeveless shirt for summer.

So I drafted the cowl, but it ended up being a bit too loose.  As in the cowl would have ended up showing quite a bit of bra, and that is just not something you want to wear to work.  At least to my work.

I put my new shirt on my duct tape dress form that I finally got up on a stand.

Brian helped me out with it a few years ago, and it is mostly my measurements.  It is good enough anyways.  I used an old coat rack  as the stand.  I had to cut off the top a little bit with a hacksaw to make it closer to my height.  I kept some of the metal coat rack things on it, so it would catch the stuffing and not push out the top.  Like it did the first time I put it on the stand.   I should make a cover for this, too.  It’s a bit white trashy right now with all the tape, but it works for now.

Anyways…

I put the top on the dressform and proceeded to pin the cowl up to where it would be a bit less provocateur.  It was a bit of trial and error in getting the draping right.  I would sew a few spots, and then put it back up to see how things were progressing.  This is where it ended up.

Next, I have a shrug that I made at one point this winter.  I got the idea from a Pinterest pin that is in some Asian language.  The first draft was trashed, and this one mostly works.  It is a bit long of arm, so it is very bunched at my wrists.  This is a light sweater knit fabric.  When drafting this you need to make sure the arms are not too long or too wide.  Or too thin.  Just right…just like goldilocks.  

My first version was too narrow in the arms, so I couldn’t really get it on.

You would probably see the gathers better if you had a thicker knit than what I used.  I would also do a clear elastic in the hem by the body or else it may get a bit stretched out.  It would keep it closer to the body if you did that bit.

*****

I have actually posted THREE Pinterest projects this month.  The shorts for Anya, the AQ outfit for me, and this shrug. I am on a ROLL!  Now I need to figure out what to make for May.

I have my kid’s costumes done for this weekend, but I will wait to post them until after we go to the comic con.  I think they both turned out pretty well, and the kids are happy, so I call that a WIN.