Friday 3 September 2010

The thrill of a frill - Simplicity top finished!

Bearing in mind my weakness for frills and ruffles and my great liking for patterns that offer separate pieces for B, C or D cup sizes, I really don’t know why I didn’t get around to making up Simplicity 2599 earlier. This pattern has been sitting around in my stash since it was issued last year – as soon as I saw it I leapt on it. And I’ve had the coral coloured silk I planned to use for it since the spring of this year. All summer I kept meaning to make it but, somehow, it never reached the top of the pile - until now. But, as they say, better late than never and here it is

In case you’re wondering, I’m wearing it with the skirt I made from the April issue of Burda Magazine (blogged about in this post). So I’ve got ruffles at my neck, a flounce round my hem and a bow at the back! Is that too much?

The top is pretty easy to make but the ruffles do take a bit of fussing with to get just right, especially with a slippery silky fabric. As I mentioned in my last post, I tried out a new technique to make this easier and did the gathering of the ruffles with my new best friend, my serger. This way the ruffles get the edges finished at the same time as the gathering threads are put in – you then just pull up the needle threads to adjust the ruffles to the exact length you want them and sew them to the front. Here’s a close up of the ruffles

And here’s one with a ruffle lifted up so you can see how it is attached to the front.

At the back of the neck there is a button and loop closure. If you want to make this top quicker you could actually do without this (I can take the top on and off without undoing the button). However, I like the elegant look of the closure and I found some cute looking rose shaped buttons in my button box (I have no idea where they came from – do things mysteriously appear in your home?!), so I used one of them


I think that this pattern is definitely worthy of another outing at some time in the near future but, in the meantime, I’m starting to think that summer sewing has to stop now …… I need to do some serious planning for my autumn (fall)/winter wardrobe.

36 comments:

  1. Your blouse is beautiful Eugenia!

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  2. Beautiful. I love the ruffles, and the color really goes well with your skin tone.

    Trudy
    www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com

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  3. So pretty!! You look amazing in it!

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  4. Very pretty. I have that pattern. I'm definitely inspired to sew it by your version... and to figure out gathering on my serger.

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  5. It's very pretty and very feminine. The rose button is a perfect touch; and it does look great with your Burda flounce skirt!

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  6. Your blouse turned out wonderful. I love ruffles too!!

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  7. This is beautiful - so professional. I love the ruffles, and can tell you've been using your serger! Wonderful!

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  8. Great job with your top Eugenia! I especially love how you used your serger for the ruffles. Beautiful work!

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  9. Lovely, with such careful work!

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  10. The "frill" is cute. Well done.

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  11. This is a lovely color Eugenia and it looks incredibly chic with the black skirt.

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  12. I don't think you look too frilly at all, and the color is great!

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  13. Love the color, looks great on you. And I have a lot of mystery buttons as well.

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  14. Such a pretty top - so feminine and refined!

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  15. This blouse is so elegant and stylish. I really like your work. Very neat! Now I am think... Should I make something in that colour. So pretty colour!

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  16. Very lovely and just enough feminiity.. it's not too much at all! Love it!

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  17. SEEING THIS MAKES ME SO MAD!!! Not at you of course - at myself. That very same pattern stayed on my inspiration board all summer long, and I just never got around to it. Does summer sewing really have to stop? I think that top would look gorgeous under a jacket, so maybe, just maybe I'll still do it to wear under a fall/winter jacket. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  18. Such a pretty top! I love the colour. I think it would look fabulous with white pants.

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  19. What a lovely interpretation of the pattern. That color is wonderful on you. And no, your ruffles and flounces are not over the top, they're elegant. Just don't go crazy and put a bow in your hair. That would be too much.

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  20. Cute, and very much in style. Nice sewing!

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  21. I just began reading your blog a few weeks ago...This blouse is one of my favorite things you've made! It looks lovely.

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  22. That is an absolutely gorgeous version and MUCH better than any of my various attempts at this top. Is that silk? I am always too lazy to add that button detail (which seems to sag for me on the one attempt I did make).

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  23. I LOVE this - is such a gorgeous colour! I need to be more brave with my serger... x

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  24. Very pretty top, wonderful color.

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  25. I love your new top - the colour looks fabulous on you! You have done a lovely job of the ruffles. I think it looks great with your black skirt - not too many ruffles at all!

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  26. Fabulous job, you did a good job with the overlock, it looks great on you, I also think it will look nice under a jacket, there is never enough tops.

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  27. This turned out beautifully! I love the ruffles, so on trend right now!

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  28. Lovely blouse and the color is beautiful on you!

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  29. I love this blouse in a chiffon! Don't you think it has a ton of "bang" for such an easy top? If you paired it with a brownish or tweed skirt, I think you could get away with wearing it in the fall.

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  30. Divine colour and frills. I am very impressed that you have mastered your overlocker. Mine chucked a wobbly recently and I learn't how to re-thread it from scratch. Now I am inspired to do a course to learn the rest.

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  31. That is gorgeous! I am really going to have to learn how to do serger gathers at some point. Love the rose button!

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  32. I agree with everyone else: Stunning! Well done.

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  33. Beautiful dress. It suits you perfectly and the color is so nice on you!

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  34. Absolutely beautiful! And to answer your question, I think the ruffles in front and bow in the back are not too much at all - just very feminine, which is a good thing IMO. :)

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