Buttoned up

Sometimes you can't resist the temptation of new fabric, even with a sizeable stash waiting to be sewn. And the minute I opened the package from Marcy Tilton to see the heathered violet linen I had ordered, I was glad I didn't. Luscious color, excellent quality, summer-perfect weight for a top. So how was I going to make it up?   

I wanted something simple, easy-to-wear, loose but not oversized. So I turned to Pinterest and searched for linen tops. Well, you know how it is, diving into Pinterest searches. Soon I had a board of tops with interesting detailing: pleats, tucks, creative necklines. My eye kept returning to one with a neckline placket 

 closed by two Chinese knotted ball buttons.

 The neckline and the general look of the top were the only things I copied, preferring to have a set-in rather than cut-on sleeve and a slightly more shaped body with bust darts. I used Butterick 5390, version C, shortening it to hip-length, with the back slightly longer than the front, and making the sleeve just above the elbow. And, of course, re-doing the neckline.

  

But, oh, those buttons! I got out string and tried following along on YouTube videos...without success. It looked so simple but I could never seem to get anything reasonably resembling those ball buttons. Finally I remembered that I actually had a book on Chinese Knotting (by Lydia Chen ISBN 0-8048-3999-0), with the steps clearly showing the process for tying the button. Still, it took me a very frustrating morning until I achieved the elusive knot. (For anyone trying this, the secret is in the careful pulling and tightening of the cord.) 

  

The next step was covering the string with the linen. I stitched a very narrow bias tube and turned it right side out, pulling it over the string as I did so. Because It was bias, I could stretch the fabric to be narrower that the tube I had stitched, making it fit snugly over the string. In retrospect, I wish I had used a smaller cord to make slightly smaller buttons, as I was worried that the weight of the buttons on the lightweight top might make them droop. I really haven't had a chance to wear the top, since I completed it just after our late warm weather ended, but it seemed okay even with the larger buttons when I had it on for Mr. C to snap some pics. 

 

The placket was stitched to the inside, turned to the outside and top-stitched. The string inside the bias tube of the buttons was cut off close to the knot and the remainder of the tube inserted under the little crosswise pieces and top-stitched down. The same tiny bias tube minus the string was inserted in the other side of the crosswise pieces for the loop to close the buttons. The neckline is finished with bias. I serged the side, shoulder and sleeve seam allowances before stitching the seams. 

Altogether I'm totally pleased with how it turned out, and I can't wait for next summer to have a chance to wear it.

The cropped pants I'm wearing are also linen from Marcy Tilton.