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Posted on July 26, 2023
![A woman wearing a top in white fabric with thin blue lines and two groups of blue lozenges near the hems. It has a square neck gathered by a yellow elastic, the blue lines are horizontal on the wide sleeves and vertical, and more spaced, on the body. A woman wearing a top in white fabric with thin blue lines and two groups of blue lozenges near the hems. It has a square neck gathered by a yellow elastic, the blue lines are horizontal on the wide sleeves and vertical, and more spaced, on the body.]()
Since some time I’ve been thinking about making myself a top or a dress with a wide gathered neckline that can be work at different widths, including off-the-shoulders.
A few years ago I’ve been gifted a cut of nice, thin white fabric with a print of lines and lozenges that isn’t uniform along the fabric, but looks like it was designed for some specific garment, and it was waiting in my stash for a suitable pattern.
And a few days ago, during a Sunday lunch, there was an off-hand mention of a dress from the late 1970s which had an elastic in the neckline, so that it could be optionally worn off-the-shoulders.
And something snapped in place.
I had plans for that afternoon, but they were scrapped, and I started to draw, measure, cut rectangles of fabric, pin and measure again, cut more fabric.
![The main pieces of the top laid flat: a big rectangle for the body, The main pieces of the top laid flat: a big rectangle for the body,]()
two rectangular tubes for the sleeves laid so that they meet the body just at the corners, and a triangle (a square gusset folded on the diagonal) joins them to the body.
I decided on a pattern made of rectangles to be able to use as much fabric as possible, with the size of each rectangle based mostly on the various sections on the print of the fabric.
I’ve made the typical sleeves from a rectangle and a square gusset, and then attached them to the body just from the gusset to keep the neckline wide and low.
![The worn top shown from the side back: there is a strip of vertical lines spaced closer together like on the sleeves, and it continues to the bottom rather than ending with a strip of lozenges. The worn top shown from the side back: there is a strip of vertical lines spaced closer together like on the sleeves, and it continues to the bottom rather than ending with a strip of lozenges.]()
The part of the fabric with large vertical stripes had two different widths: I could have made the back narrower, but I decided to just keep a strip with narrower lines to one side.
The fabric also didn’t have a full second strip of lozenges, so I had to hem it halfway through it.
![Closeup of the center front and center back of the neckline casing, showing the matched lines. Closeup of the center front and center back of the neckline casing, showing the matched lines.]()
The casing for the elastic was pieced from various scraps, but at least I was able to match the lines on the center front and back, even if they are different. Not that it matters a lot, since it’s all hidden in the gathering, but I would have known.
And since I was working on something definitely modern, even if made out of squares and rectangles, of course I decided to hand-sew everything, mostly to be able to use quite small sewing allowances, since the fabric was pretty thin.
In my stash I had a piece of swimsuit elastic that feels nice, looks nice and makes a knot that doesn’t slip, so I used it. It’s a perfect match, except for the neon yellow colour, which I do like, but maybe is a bit too high visibility? I will see if the haberdasher has the same elastic in dark blue, but right now this will do.
It was a quick project anyway: by the end of the working week the top was finished; I think that on a sewing machine it would be easy to make it in a day.
![the top worn with the neckline pulled down to leave the shoulders bare. the top worn with the neckline pulled down to leave the shoulders bare.]()
And it can be worn off the shoulders! Which is something I will probably never do in public (and definitely not outdoors), but now if I wanted I could! :D
As usual, the pattern (for what pattern there is) and instructions are on my pattern website under a #FreeSoftWear license, and I’ve also added to the site a tip on how I use electrician fish tape to thread things through long casings
blog.trueelena.org/blog/2023/0…
gh0sti :pika:
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •sortius
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Gretchen Anderson
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •wpieper
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Shu Daizi
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •JasonDTremblay
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •The Lady (La Donna)
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •New year, do you
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Ramble Panda 🐼
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Guitarsophist
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •DrKiki
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Afif R.
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •nailsthatglow 🏳️⚧️🦇🖖
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •J Lam 👩🏻💻👩🏻🎨
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Ah beautiful …
* sobs happy tears *
* feels inspired *
Yep. Definitely magic happening… 🥹
padraigd
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •famousringo
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Chris Dudley
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Canzonett
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Cam
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Mori
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •The Barking Shark
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Ryan Egesdahl :heart_pride:
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Cykonot
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Neil Gaiman, chaos magician
Jaguarior Jones
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Minnie
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •philip 🌻
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Claudius (legacy account)
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •psybertron
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Ollivier Robert 🇺🇦😷🌈
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •👩🦯The Blind Fraggle
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •🌈 breaking ranks.
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Robotistry
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •clacke: exhausted pixie dream boy 🇸🇪🇭🇰💙💛 likes this.
Rob Bos
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •clacke: exhausted pixie dream boy 🇸🇪🇭🇰💙💛 likes this.
Alexander Knochel
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Red, Fat Horse
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Bytebro 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 🇬🇱
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •ᕲᗩᖇᖽᐸᘿᘉᘿᕲᑢᕼᗩSᘻ
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •This!!
Fuck yes! And, this is only a tiny "snapshot". Gather up all the little sparks and mysteries, it's impossible to deny the presence of magic. I don't want to remain in this world without it. Consider: An undisclosed, unselfish and unclaimed act of kindness on behalf of someone disliked and disregarded that goes against human nature. I understand there are opposing forces. There always will be. So...
Alex, the Hearth Fire
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Sayuri 💛⬜️💜🖤 ΘΔ
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Ichdochnich
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •MistherFrenchFries
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Kevin Marks
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •I can read people's thoughts.
Using an ancient technology, handed down over millennia, improved and refined along the way, I am able to read people's thoughts. And not just people nearby, or people I know. I can even read dead people's thoughts.
This gives me a great deal of power and knowledge - I can learn from their lives, their experiences, their dreams and fears, their insights and imaginings.
I can read people's thoughts.
epeus.blogspot.comErin O'Riordan
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •zendao42
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •ursuula
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •“literal magic” 😂
ISeeWhatYouDidThere.gif (:
Lisa Hay
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •clacke: exhausted pixie dream boy 🇸🇪🇭🇰💙💛 likes this.
SpeedStar
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •I feel sorry for the people that don't believe in magic.
They are the one who is missing out.
Salgood Sam aka Max Douglas
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Tales from Absurdia
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Sarah Marie Nicolosi
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •Grapeshot
in reply to Neil Gaiman • • •you know what else is magic?
Getting in your climate controlled coach, driving to somewhere 40 miles away and arriving about a half hour later, and all the while you listened to a symphony played by a 100 piece orchestra.
I admit it's not as magical as being moved by words written someone 1000s of miles away or centuries in the past, but it is pretty damn good nonetheless.