Simplicity 1621

Remember Thinking of spring? I've completed not one, but two linen shells for spring!

I fell for this linen print at Fabrix about over a year ago. I dreamt of making something for Iris, but she didn't like it. It has the plum blossom color I associate with my flower little flower child as well as the sage green that she now favors.  How could she not like it?

Of course she didn't want anything to do with it. Grr.

I emailed a photo of the fabric and proposed pattern to her coach and asked if she would like a shell top from the fabric. She replied yes, I took measurements, and then I searched my Burda magazines and envelope pattern collection for something in her size.  You'd think that Burda magazines would have plenty of basic shells in plus sizes, but my collection yielded nothing.

Simplicity 1621 to the rescue.  I eliminated the center seams to keep the print intact, curved the shoulder seam slightly to hug the collarbone, and made my own bias tape.  When I laid out the pattern pieces, I realized that I could make two tops, one in XL for her coach, and one in M for myself.

The pattern has good bones and doesn't gape at the neck or arms.  The bust dart does angle upwards and end above my natural bust.  If this bothers you, cut the bust dart box out of the pattern and slide it down to suit your figure.

The pattern is loose, but not baggy.  I shortened it to about 22" in front and slightly longer in the back.

At first, I planned to clean finish the interior completely using single-needle (no serger) techniques.  But flat-felling the side seam with the bulk of the bust dart cured me of purist idealism.

I serged the side seams of the second top as well as both hems.

Two tops, size M and XL, cut out of about 1.5 meters of 60" wide linen.  I hope her teacher/coach likes it.  I certainly like mine.

It's supposed to be in the mid-80s in LA this weekend. Perhaps I can get Bad Dad to take a picture of me in my new shell at the beach.