Hi all! Although I vanished from the blogosphere during an unplanned two month hiatus everything is well and I have a lot of new sewing projects to document here.
Soon after my previous post mr Foxgloves and I went on holiday to the north of Portugal. We had the best of times and we managed to take some blog pictures of freshly sewn summer wear in a few beautiful spots. Coming soon. The weather in Portugal was lovely and sunny, but much to our surprise we heard it was even warmer in The Netherlands. Turned out this was the start of an unprecedented heatwave. When we returned the garden desperately needed our attention and up till today we didn't get any rain. If you've ever experienced a Dutch summer you'll know how unusual that is. After nine weeks of drought with temperatures rising to 38 Celsius this picture sums up the state of our country rather well:
 |
| Photocredits: De Telegraaf |
Our infra structure is designed for keeping the water out, keeping the water in is something else!
Amidst the struggle to keep the garden alive I felt the need to sew a lightweight cotton top to stay as cool as possible. I found this lovely floral and dots fabric (two prints in one, winner!) that almost feels like batiste. It has a lovely drape and I decided to pair it with this Knipmode pattern that was on my to-sew list ever since I first saw it in August 2017.
 |
| KM1708-24 |
Simple, but with a few nice details like the v-neck insert, a self lined back yoke and high/low hem.
Based on my high bust measurement I was in between size 46 and 48. I chose the smaller size, did my usual 1 inch FBA (which resulted in adding a side dart) and made a muslin which turned out too big at the bust. I pinned out all excess fabric and much to my surprise that equalled completely undoing the FBA and getting rid of the dart. Must have something to do with the release pleats coming from the shoulder and the loose fit in general. Okay then, taping the slashed pattern piece back together. Fine by me! The only other flat pattern adjustment I made was adding 2 cm length to both front and back. From there on it was easy sewing, even with a melted brain.
Not mentioned in the Knipmode instructions, but always a highlight: the burrito!
My fabric perhaps wasn't the best choice for showing the details. I'm tempted make this top again in a solid crepe for autumn.
The shape is definitely more boxy than I usually prefer but it is a joy to wear on hot days.
The back, showing the curved hemline.
And a close up of the back yoke and pleat.
One last picture of the blouse 'out in the wild' on a trip to Germany:
To everyone enduring a heatwave: keep it cool!
