Status of Leopard-y

Several weeks ago, Heather requested that I sew her a new Jalie 2788 twist top  from a knit printed with leopard spots.  I promised to sew her one once the fall vacation from school starts.  It has been two months since my most recent sewing project.  My sewing "mojo" is slowly returning.  Now into the second week of our "stay-cation" from school (school resumes in a few days), I found the time (and the mysterious productive energy) to re-trace the pattern in Heather's new size, cut out the pattern pieces, and sewing the pieces together in fewer than two hours.  Now that I think about it, I could have made her more tops if I did not forget how quickly the Jalie twist sews up.

Jalie 2788. I raised the back neckline and omitted the back ties.

 Once I gave Heather her new top, she was very ecstatic that she immediately wore it!  Her sweet response inspired me to get jump back on the sewing bandwagon.

Heather: age 7

This is the same palm tree that we pose next for photo ops.  Here is Heather  (wearing a Simplicity dress) and the same tree three years ago.

Heather: age 4


I was surprised that animal prints are still trending after doing some "snoop shopping" on the internet.  So, I have Heather to thank for reminding me about the leopard printed fabric that has started to age in my fabric stash. Note the price on the Blumarine knit dress...

I wanted to sew a new top for myself from the remaining leopard print fabric.  I did not feel like browsing through pages of my most recent Burda WOF magazines and tracing pattern lines.

Instead I sifted through a stack of pattern envelopes and found this uncut pattern dated 2007.  I think I purchased this out-of-print pattern from ebay.  I recall that I was immediately intimidated to sew this after seeing the number of pieces (more that what I expected) in the cutting layout for what seemed  to be very simple tops to sew.  When I revisited this pattern just recently, I realize that I could omit the front and back facings and topstitch the hems along the neckline. Since there were mixed reviews of this pattern in PR, I was still uncertain as to whether I should start cutting out the pattern.  "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" comes to mind.  So, I gathered confidence and boarded B5084 with a destination of at least a decent knit top in mind.

Pattern Description:

From 2007, here are knit tops with neckline and long sleeve variations. Views A and B have the crossover front and pleated upper bodice I sewed view B, but not with the bell shaped sleeves a la Stevie Nicks.

Brief Review of the Pattern (more details in my other blog):

It is a fairly simple pattern to sew.  I liked the overall style, except for the distribution of pleats in the upper front bodice, the very low neckline, and being slightly more fitted than expected.  I shortened the sleeves and added flounced cuffs with lettuced edges.  After I modified the bodice by undoing the pleats, and re-attached it to the lower front skirt, it seemed that the neckline was raised slightly to a more acceptable level.  To prevent potential exposure, I secured the center of the neckline with little stitches.   I made my usual adjustments and modified the pattern so that the front and back are each one piece, omitting the seam between the upper bodice and lower skirt.

A week of record breaking desert temperatures are followed by precipitation, cooler temperatures and overcast in Southern California.