New Look 0906 in sheer silk

Firstly, I just want to say thank you for all the lovely comments you guys make. I LOVE reading them and always answer every single one....although I often later realise that I've only answered some of them in my own head. So please forgive me if I don't always reply. But I can assure you that we always have a great chat in my brain.

I also love that I can ask  you guys for advice on Instagram, particularly when I start second guessing myself. I'm talking specifically about these buttons. The overwhelming vote was for the pretty little gold-rimmed, black ones. I actually agree with this. Those buttons rock and would have looked fabulous on this top, but in the end I decided that I didn't want my buttons to pop or show up at all. I wanted them to be invisible, with just the placket stripe showing against the sheer. I rebelled this time and chose the dark navy option. But I did take your advice the next time, on hubby's shirt placket. Thanks guys! 

So I made the decision to refashion this dress I made earlier. I'm in love the end result, but in doing so, I was left with a reasonably sized portion of silk from the skirt. It just so happened that Lori from Girls in the Garden had also recently posted about a top she made in voile. It was like she had been reading my mind. Seeing her post saved me an awful lot of time trawling Ebay and other pattern websites to find what I was seeing in my head!

 

 

I used New Look 0906. I mixed and matched their options to come up with the simplest possible version. My version consists of a graduated hem, no pockets, no pleats, and a collar band. I did  like the pleat option, but my fabric just didn't stretch that far.

The fabric I used for my top is a very beautiful silk chiffon. As far as silks go, it isn't very slippery, but it is flimsy and prone to morphing off grain with even the slightest puff of breath. I used a medium weight fusible knit interfacing for the collar band and plackets. At the time, I would have preferred a lighter weight interfacing, but I only had one black option on hand. White interfacing would have shown through.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I realised I was a little short of fabric halfway through cutting out my pieces. I was about to throw my hands up in despair when I looked around and noticed my silk organza press cloth hanging off the ironing board.

If you don't know this already, silk organza is the most fabulous press cloth. I used to have a white one, but black works just as well. It is completely sheer so I can see exactly what I am pressing or fusing underneath. It doesn't scald or burn ever. It lasts forever, even if you are lazy and can't be bothered to finish the edges. It's also perfect for the odd back yoke lining if you are slightly short of fabric for another project. So yes, I used my press cloth to line the yoke in this top. It worked perfectly, actually better than perfect, because if I'd used self fabric, I would have had overlapping dots.

Knowing that this top is completely sheer, I will normally be wearing a black tank underneath it. For the photos, I just wore a black bra. I feel a little bit rock star wearing it in this way with my leather blocked leggings. It's probably the closest I've come to baring my tummy skin in seven years and I don't feel overexposed at all. I'm perfectly photoshopped with chiffon.