Five Easy Pieces

From Butterick 5925

(this one is easy, I promise).

For a week

I've been making interpretations of both versions 

of tops included in Butterick 5925.

I did eliminate the long pocket

on views C & D which makes the top 

really simple to sew and

I added 2" to the length

(because I'm tall and wanted it longer).

The first version 

in Ebony organic cotton/spandex knit

was very straightforward

(view A with B neckband)

until

I decided to discharge the fabric.

For the discharge design I used a new stencil

called  'Picket Fences'

that I picked up from Stencil Girl

at the Surface Design Association's Conference.

After I'd cut out the pattern pieces,

I applied Jacquard discharge paste

unevenly with a stencil brush.

Once dry, I also applied the heat from the iron

in an irregular manner --

hot and long in some places

short time and less heat in others --

so that the discharge areas have more visual interest.

I love that you never can tell exactly 

how the discharged areas are going to look.

I added some paint on top of the discharge

to give the design a bit more depth.

'Rich' is the word I'd use to describe it.

Then I found a bunch of wonderful stripes

on Marcy's website.

First stripe version is

in Pirro rayon knit stripe,

a soft double-knit of grey and black

with wider stripes on one side

and narrower stripes on the other.

An added seam down the center front

with stripes on the diagonal,

(view A with B neckband)

creates a flattering look.

Another found bit of stash stripe,

(wrong side used around the neck and inside one pocket),

created a subtle design shift 

that keeps things interesting.

Top number three uses

Danny rayon knit stripe,

again cutting the fronts on the diagonal

to create cool chevrons

(view C/D no pockets).

Hem detail.

Top number four was cut out of

Augustus rayon knit stripes

(view C/D no pockets).

Can you tell how much I'm loving

those chevrons down the front?

This teal and grey combo

is exceptionally pretty.

And then there were five.

The last one was cut from

Paris Blue linen knit

(view A with B neckband)

which was lovely to sew with

and fairly floats on the body.

Because it is soft

it tends to stretch a bit when stitching

across the grain.

So be sure to 

stay-stitch the neck,

stabilize the shoulder seams

and use a walking foot (my preference)

or stay-stitch plus (Marcy's preference).

I also fused the hems in place

to add a bit more stability.

Happy stitching this Summer!