Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Pride Goeth Before a Fall

The last couple of posts have all been along the theme of how-awesome-is-the-online-sewing-community -- I guess that's fitting, seeing as how it's November and all. It was so nice going through and responding to all of the lovely comments you guys left for me, and seeing how incredibly empathic you all are! Seriously, why couldn't you all have been my middle school classmates?

To add to the love I've been feeling from you all, can I just say that it's been so gratifying to see all of the new dolman sleeve tops that have been popping up around the sewing blogiverse since my first round-up? Making a pattern, even if it's a free one, is kind of like throwing your baby out into the world and hoping it doesn't chew up too many people's tables or pee on their favorite textiles (obviously I know nothing about babies...this description makes it sound like I think babies = puppies). I mean, even if nobody's being forced to put out money for my pattern, I know they're still investing time and fabric into a project that I (kind of) promised would work. So seeing that it works for people makes me super happy!

Here are some of the more recent iterations of the top:

IZJ posted her make on Pattern Review (and you can too! ZOMG I can't believe my little baby is on PR.com!). See the picture here! I love that she cut the stripes on the bias! And for even more stripe-y goodness, this version has two of my favorite things: mustard color and chevrons! Wow, that's a lot of exclamation marks!

Emily took umbrage at my what-librarians-wear stereotyping, and rightly so, because her zebra print version is totally not a stuffy tweed suit. You guys know how I feel about animals on clothing, so it's no wonder I love her make!

She makes an excellent serious librarian face, right? 

Andrea of Stitch Parade made this lovely, practical, goes with everything version:

I love how she paired it with that bright necklace.

Ginger Makes (and her sister!) had a kniturday:


And Aleah of No Time to Sew made up another version, but added a skirt to make it into a dress! 

Brilliant idea. Brilliant fabric choice.

Anyway, if you've made one up and I haven't seen it, please let me know. I love seeing how other sewasauruses have taken this simple top and interpreted it for their own styles and wardrobes. And hey, if you want to review it on PR.com too, that will add to my excitement!


And now for my story: since I wear all of my own dolman sleeve tops so frequently, every time I come across about a yard of knit, I bookmark it for yet another version. Well, it got so that I thought I was oh-so-pro at whipping them up, and you all know that's a recipe for trouble...pride goeth before a fall and all that. I had this deliciously soft strawberry-stripes-on-heather-gray jersey from Michael Levine's Loft that was just enough to make the top out of. I cut out my main pattern pieces, the neck band, and the hem band, then thought oooh, I'll be clever and cut the arm bands on the bias for some cool stripey effects. Guess what I did? I cut those cuffs out of my front pattern piece. *head desk* At least I cut it off to the side, so I had two-thirds of a front piece that was still salvageable. I ended up having to piece together the rest of it from the scraps, leaving me with a surprisingly cool effect on the top. *whew*

My husband actually really liked the effect. He though I had bought this top, which, from him, is a compliment.

Yeah, this was totally a purposeful design element. Yup. Intentional. 

The back actually looks surprisingly boring in comparison. 

Sorry about the headless pictures...it was just a no-face kind of day, hence the bumming around the house in yoga pants and this top. It's finally getting fall-ish here in TCOCC, and for all that I'm glad to finally be able to wear boots and scarves, it's still slightly depressing that it gets dark so early! I blame the lack of sunlight for the brain fart that led to my cutting error. Do you ever feel like your sewing (or other brain-utilizing tasks) suffers between the autumnal and vernal equinoxes?

44 comments:

  1. Woo hoo!!!! you're on PR!! Attention pattern makers: Cation Designs has arrived! Watch out!!!

    Great stuff, no surprise that the pattern is so popular! I want to make one too once I get more comfortable with knits.

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    1. It feels so "real" to be on PR! And hey, whenever it is that you make your top, I'm sure it will be super cute, like everything else you make!

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  2. What a great save of your newest top! Sometimes it's the mistakes that force you to get creative that lead to the most interesting ideas! I've been there and also seen it happen to almost everyone I've worked with - you handled the "oops moment" just like a professional. I love how it turned out! =)

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    1. Thanks, Brooke! I'm really grateful now for the mistake, but at the time I was ready to scream "Nooooooo!!!" like Darth Vader does :)

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  3. Thanks for featuring my frankendress! Your striped top is so fabulous - good save! If I had cut into my front piece I would still be curled up in a ball in tears... and it's totally something I would have done. I feel just the same about the short days, boo!
    That fabric is fab, I didn't see anything that good at the Loft, but I did get a couple cozy knits for more dolman tops!

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    1. I really loved your frankendress! And I may or may not have been ball-curled for a significant amount of time before moving on...

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  4. I love those designer details, as in, renamed uh-ohs.

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  5. Ooh, I love your new version-- the stripes look super cool! Sometimes it's the simplest projects that give me the "duh" situations-- what can you do? Thanks again for the lovely pattern! I'm so glad to see that your pattern is being so warmly received!

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    1. The stripes are definitely different from my usual look! It's a bit more sci-fi, a little less fantasy... Thanks for trying out my pattern!

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  6. I actually really like the pieced stripe look! Great save! That's a gorgeous knit too!

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    1. Thanks! I only wish there was more of that stripe-y knit...it would've made a fantastic chevron-ed something!

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  7. I actually think it turned out very cool with the stripe placement, hooray for accidently-on-purpose design features! :-)

    And for the record, babies pretty much are like puppies. ;-) All the way down to being utterly adorable.

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    1. Heh, good to know I wasn't too far off about babies vs. puppies! I'm so glad the accidentally-on-purpose looked, well, purposeful :)

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  8. Ha! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's done that! Oh, and your finished product looks great!
    -Sandra

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    1. You are not the only one by far! I used to do this a lot more, but got better at setting aside already cut pieces...then apparently I got lax!

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  9. yes yes yes ... my sewing suffered (in fact it laid down and prepared to die) between the autumnal and vernal equinox :-)

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    1. Hah! I wouldn't say mine has quite laid down and died yet, but ask me again in January...glad to hear I'm not the only one, though!

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  10. My absolute favorite sort of "creative design element" - the "oops" that turns into inspiration - love the look!

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    1. Thank you! It was tenuous for a while, but I'm so glad it worked out!

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  11. Not only did you salvage it, but it looks awesome too!

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  12. yaay! i love the stripy top - looks totally intentional with the piecing.

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  13. I'd call that a happy accident! Love the color too!

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    1. Thanks! The pink is a little more neon than my usual, but it's growing on me.

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  14. totally a design element. and sometimes i feel like my entire body shuts down between the equinoxes...

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    1. Heh...I know the feeling, and I'm not even as far up north as you are!

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  15. I LOVE your version. You are such a great inspiration to start sewing!

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    1. Thanks! I hope you give it a try -- it's an awesome hobby, and I'm not biased at all...

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  16. Wow, I adore your stripey version with all of its INTENTIONAL design elements! I am going to have to make one of these. Thank you for putting up the pattern!

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    1. I hope it works out for you! And I hope that if you try stripes every which way, it actually *is* intentional!

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  17. Congratulations on the success of your pattern! Your stripey happy accident tee is very very cool... love it! :)

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  18. It's a marvelous mistake, because I think it turned out awesome!!! I love all the design that the stripes add to it. It's a great pattern, and I'm so glad you are getting such widespread acclaim!

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    1. Heh, I don't know about widespread acclaim, but I am pretty proud of my little pattern baby :)

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  19. I absolutely love how you conquered your mistake! I would never have the creative vision to vary my stripes like that unless I had blundered--but look how amazing yours is! I'm glad you didn't give up on it :)

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    1. I would never have had that creative vision either, so I guess I'm glad it worked out that way. Although to be honest, I was pretty annoyed at the time...

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  20. You took lemons and made lemonade! Great save. I can't wait to try out this pattern!

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    1. I'm calling it my pink lemonade top now :) I hope the pattern works out for you!

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  21. I really love the design features you have so cleverly and creatively and deliberately added to this. Wear it with pride and when people ask tell them about how you were inspired by the juxtaposition of light and shadow and spent positively AGES planning how to best express yourself. Seriously, this looks awesome! I saw the pic before I registered the words and I thought "oooh, what a great feature she did there, I wonder what inspired that!"

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  22. I love my own dolman top and am currently working on my second version, but compared to that funky stripes effect you've got going mine will be downright boring :) I love the way you recovered from this almost fall - brilliant!

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