When I bought this pattern, it was with View A in mind. I liked the idea of the contrast hem, and thought it would make a great wardrobe builder pattern. I decided to make use of some of my National City Swap Meet fabric finds, since I had acquired lots of solid-colored jerseys in many, many colors. I picked a palette of blues, adding further color-blocking to the hem. Due to the cut of this pattern, with a seam down the center front, there are a lot of different variations on color-blocking that could be used on this one.

I cut it out, pinned to the form, and made one last design “edit”. After cutting the pieces out and pinning on the dress form, I thought that the design seemed a bit “plain” without the balance of the scarf that was pictured on the pattern photo. I’m not one to wear scarves, so I decided to add an applique. I had one with a neat floral with a gamma and color saturation that would work well with my blues. I was concerned with the length of the cut pieces (seemed pretty long), but went with it anyway. I should have trusted my gut … I could have saved myself an hour of unpicking …

Despite going together quickly, the first product was disappointing. I assembled the top entirely on a serger … including the hems (twin needle cover-stitch). It was very fast to assemble. Once I tried it on, I was sad. It fit more like a “dress” than a “tunic” … and the “dress” was not flattering on me. I wanted to love it … it was supposed to coordinate with my Vogue Donna Karan boucle jacket … I tried it on with the jacket … still no like. It was at this point that the top was thrown to the side so that I could get some sort of emotional validation with a more successful project.

That was 6 months ago – I just finished this top this week. Last month, I made a deal with myself … I have to complete one UFO for every new project that I start. So, this was the UFO that was standing between my brocade & lambskin bomber, and the next project: white Sherpa coat.

To complete the project, I needed to adjust the length of the hem and apply the applique to the neckline. I unpicked the color blocked hem, and used my quilting ruler to cut 5” off of the body of the top, and reattached the hem bands. To apply the applique, I generously sprayed the back of the applique with quilting adhesive, and then placed it on the top (which was on the form). I sewed it down using a very low presser foot setting and longer stitch setting, maneuvering around the outside edges and changing the thread colors where needed (I used embroidery thread in the upper thread). This turned out to be “just right”, and the proportions of the “edited” top, with applique placement were now more balanced.

I think this top is really cute, but not really my style once tried on.  Another winner for my sister!