Hip-tie blouse powers the flowers

Here's the new hip-tie blouse in a Roberto Cavalli silk charmeuse - I've very happy with it. Here is where sewing pays off: you can purchase a similar top at Neiman's or Net-a-Spender for $595, or you can make yourself a glamorous and better-fitting topper for $50.

My hip-tie blouse

I'll admit that I bought the fabric on sale at FS Fabrics in Los Angeles. I think it was originally $100 a yard and I bought two yards at 50% off. I made this blouse for me and a fabric necklace for my mom all out of two yards of fabric.

This Roberto Cavalli blouse runs $595.00

Here's a summary of how I made this top:

1. The hie-tie top runs big. I made a medium and I did a full bust adjustment (FBA).

2. I added a dart to the side (as part of the FBA).

3. I gathered the neckline by hand. This worked so much better than by machine.

4. This fabric is opaque and rather heavy, so I finished the seams by pinking the raw edges.

5. I attached the bindings by machine, then stitched in the ditch by hand.

I found the solution for attaching the bindings in High Fashion Sewing Secrets by Claire B. Shaeffer. She gives detailed information on how to attach bindings. She says that when binding a neckline you should "ditch-stitch by hand, using a very short running stitch".

At first I thought: that is insane. Then I realized that it is quick to do and it gives beautiful results that would be hard to replicate on a machine.

She also gives instructions for finishing binding ends so that they look very neat.

Now I'm ready to party!

Roberto Cavalli Hip-Tie Blouse, Part II

Back with Part II of the Hip-Tie Blouse. It's a bit unfair of me to blog about a pattern you can no longer purchase, but this isn't so much a pattern review as a pronouncement on Slow Sewing.

The first time I made this top I finished it in under two hours - and I have to say, it's fairly adorable. I'm making it for the second time and it's taken me, so far, about eight hours. So what happened?

I decided to make this the slow way and learn how to do it right.

I started with a full bust adjustment (FBA) - not my very first one, but close. There are lots of great websites showing you how to do this, so I won't repeat what's been done better in other places - I'll just show you where I ended up. This isn't even a photo of the same top, by the way, but it's the same process:

After I made my FBA, I made a muslin and tried it on. There weren't any bust points marked on the original pattern, so I used the muslin to mark the bust points and then I pinned out where I wanted my darts. I transferred the markings to my new pattern, and used that to cut out my fabric.

I thought it might make sense to check the fit again when I put the top together because the fabric I planned to use (the gorgeous Roberto Cavalli silk) was so much drapier than the muslin.

This lead to a discovery for a fitting amateur like me - there are three moving parts to this top:

1. The angle of the shoulder seam
2. The depth of the darts
3. The position of the neckline gathers

Change one element and you might need to adjust the others too.

I started by adjusting the darts, which seemed a bit big. I learned something on the Marcy Tilton video that helped solve this problem: split the one big dart into two small darts. This worked perfectly.

Then, I had a look at the neckline gathers. Normally I would just follow the pattern, mark the gathering area, zoom some big stitches across there and pull. But here I was dealing with Roberto Cavalli, so to show some reverence, I gently hand-stitched the gathering lines, and then put on the top to see how to position the gathers. And guess what? I ended up making the gathered area much more narrow. I stopped the gathers where I've scribbled the word "better!":

Again, the Marcy Tilton video - it's my top and my neckline. Why not adjust it my way?

I've now stitched the gathers and the darts in place, and I'll be able to test the angle of the shoulder seam and show you final result tomorrow. We can compare and contrast the two hour top with the eight hour top. Stay tuned.

Sewing as metaphor for life

Last night I cut into a piece of Roberto Cavalli silk charmeuse. The drape, the heft, the luscious hand, the sophisticated design and color scheme, the slipperiness - everything about this fabric is enchanting - and intimidating.

I was afraid to cut into this cloth - but now that I've gotten a bit more brave, I find that it's working up into a dazzling little blouse that might cost $795.00 at Neimans. I finally worked up the courage to tackle this project, here's what helped me get over my fear:

• Planning
• Experimenting
• Assembling the right tools
• Taking my time

I'm making a pattern I've had for some time, the Betsy Ross Pattens hip-tie blouse. This is an adorable little top that's easy to make. Sadly, Betsy Ross Patterns has ceased production - sad because they made some excellent patterns that were simple to make and lovely to wear.

I made this top in some less expensive fabric last year, and the top I ended up with was too baggy for my taste, although that hasn't stopped me from wearing it to death.

I decided that with this Roberto Cavalli fabric I must finally tackle my fear of making a full bust adjustment. Guess what? It's easy! There is nothing to lose but a modest amount of time and the cost of some tracing paper and muslin. It all clicked for me when watched Marcy Tilton's video on making t-shirts. At $40 that video seemed a lot of money to me, but it was a spectacularly useful investment. Yes, spectacular. Thanks Marcy! I discovered for one thing that I'm not a size extra-large, but a size medium with "people on the balcony" as the French would say.

More on this top in my next post...