More Marcy Tilton

All dressed up and no place to go, like everyone else during this extraordinary time. But even in normal circumstances, I have more outfits than occasions to wear them. That is due both to the fact that I am not very social, hence the lack of occasions, and to my love of sewing, resulting in the outfit surplus.

Yes, I do love to sew. I love fabric, the luscious colors and tactile textures, the eye-catching patterns and prints. I love spreading my stash out, pairing various pieces, imaging what they might become. Versatile jackets, tops that would go with pants, even dresses which I hardly wear anymore. It's a gorgeously attired fantasy life that I'm envisioning, just waiting for me to sew it into reality. 

And sew it I do. But slowly, and carefully. Which is why my closet can still contain my clothes and why my stash barely seems to diminish. First there's the pairing of pattern and fabric, then refining fit and finessing details. I want to make each and every garment the best I can. I want it to fit and feel and look exactly right, so I'll be happy wearing it.

So even a “wearable muslin” gets meticulous treatment. Which is what this Marcy Tilton top was intended to be: a trial for a rather bold printed knit that had been maturing in my stash for some time. I went to my well of old cotton interlock which has still not run out, and found this not-quite-navy dark blue which I paired with some scraps of a bright leaf green knit for contrast.

I made several changes which you can read about on my review on Pattern Review. It's categorized as Average or, in French, Less Easy, to sew, which rating it earns, in my opinion, due to the squared-off cut of the sleeves where they attach to the body. But I really like the unique look it gives to this top. The other out-of-the-ordinary styling detail is pockets created by a separate lower front piece. I added the buttons and tabs both to keep the pockets from being so floppy and to repeat a touch of the green of the neck band. 

The back is slightly shaped with a casing which I also handled differently than the pattern instructions, inserting a stitched-down band rather than a knotted tie. I think these interesting details show much better in a solid color fabric than in the prints shown on the pattern envelope. So I nixed using my printed knit for it.

Since blue is a color I rarely wear, it turned out that I had no bottoms to pair it with. Even my jeans were the wrong color of blue. So I ended up making a pair of ponte pants using a simple faced-waist pattern (OOP McCall's 5672) that was designed for wovens and omitting the zipper. The ponte is stretchy enough to allow them to be pulled on. And to make sure the waist stayed snug while wearing them, I stitched 3/8-inch clear elastic to the inside of the facing after stitching it to the pants. I copied the pocket from a pair of bought pants.

Now all I have to do is wait for an opportunity to actually wear my new outfit. Sometime when we can all get together in person again. Until then, stay safe, stay home and keep sewing.