This is the top that “crept up” on me: when I finished sewing it, I was sure I didn’t like it and wouldn’t wear it. The only thing that kept me from donating it was that my original plan was to add elastics at the wrist for a bit of a bishop sleeve look, so I kept it in my alterations pile for a while until I could get around to it. A few months later I pulled it out and tried it on, and it didn’t seem so bad. Then my husband saw me and said, “Wow, what a great top,” and I realized I had judged it too harshly.

The fabric is a border-print rayon (I think) twill that I found at Fabricland. I bought it thinking I would make flowy pants with the border print at the ankles, but I realized that was going to be way too bohemian-looking for my style. So I turned the print sideways and cut out a Grainline Scout Tee, and lengthened and flared the sleeves.

This is not my best sewing. The bias-faced neckline is clearly wonky. I have since learned to shape and press the bias tape into the curve needed *before* attaching it, and it will lay flat and clean. But I didn’t do that here. And I didn’t ease in the left shoulder very well…I think I was already convinced I wasn’t going to like this top so I got really lazy and careless while sewing it.

But hey — I shall wear it anyway! And live happily ever after! Because life’s too short to worry about wonky necklines and armscyes, AMIRITE?

In other news: BurdaStyle included our Clothes Making Mavens podcast in their recent list of top sewing podcasts! Woo-hoo! (Ok, there aren’t THAT many sewing podcasts, I know, so how hard can it be to make the list? lol. But I’ll take it.)

And in more other news: Are you following Sewing Pattern Review’s Sewing Bee? My podcast co-host Helena just won round 3 with her AMAZING hack of what I thought of as a pretty boring pattern. Just check out her winning dress!

And in even more other news: I can’t tell you how excited I am that the Great British Sewing Bee is on again. I broke every law finding a copy of the episode in a torrent, but hey, BBC? I’m happy to pay you for it if you make it available to us North Americans.

How about you? Weren’t the jumpsuits of episode 1 fantastic? The Fold Line did a really terrific post that includes suggested patterns to recreate almost all of the looks that the contestants produced on this episode. So much fun! If you’re unable to access the current season because of your location, you can at least console yourself by watching past seasons of the Great British Sewing Bee here.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

— Lori