Monday 26 January 2015

.Tova #2: the muslin that should have been first.

Back in October I blogged about my first Tova top. The one that I was sure would be a great fit so cut into some of my precious Nani IRO, only to end up with a beautiful top that was just too tight for me across the bust and underarm area. I have since handed it off to my little sister and after lots of feedback from you lovely blog readers, Instagram and Facebook followers I didn't feel so bad about the poor fit because it seems as though many others have experienced the same issues as I did!
So, I did what I really should have done at the beginning of my sewing experience with the Tova and made myself a muslin! To be honest, I hate making muslins. They seem like such a waste of good sewing time, but I know that it is valuable when you aren't getting a good fit from a particular pattern. For this muslin, I went with a brushed cotton fabric I had in the stash. I bought this super cheap (like $3m?) on clearance at Spotlight once. I think I must have bought about 5m of it because it just keeps on going and going! I used it to line my Minoru jacket and still have a decent amount left over.
So, this time around I decided to sew a size medium, with no adjustments (I sewed a straight small last time.) I also added a fair bit of length to the top because I thought it could look cute as a dress. Here are the two options below...I asked for opinions of dress or top on FB and IG and both versions got a decent vote...but a few people did mention that the dress looked a bit like a nightie in this fabric (which I was kind of worried about, myself) so I chopped it off and stuck with the top!
The fit this time is a lot better across the chest, but if I am being super picky, I feel like the sleeves and underarm area are a bit loose and baggy so I would probably reduce some of the bulk next time. I also took in the side seams a lot - I think I curved them in at the waist a bit to give the shirt more shape and like how this looks a lot more than the straight, boxy look the size medium had before.
I also added a couple of buttons to close the front placket up a bit because it was a little too low for my liking.
Prior to this top, I haven't worn red clothing in a very long time. I just don't feel comfortable in it so I thought that this top would never be worn. But I was totally wrong! I wear it HEAPS. So maybe red isn't a bad colour for me afterall?! Or perhaps it just works in this particular top and the blue plaid check lines help to break the boldness of the red up a bit? I don't know, but I am happy that my muslin is completely wearable and wasn't a waste of my time!
Will there be a third Tova? I do think so. It is such a comfortable top to wear - especially in the cosy brushed cotton fabric.

4 comments:

Mieke Jansen said...

Wow, super nice !

Jill Dorsey || Made with Moxie said...

It looks look adorable on you. I vote more red as well.

~ Kim ~ said...

Very nice. I made a large last time that ended up too big. Good idea to taper in the side. The dress is nice but probably needs a belt to finish it off. Thanks for sharing. I might just have to make one that fits too.

Nettie's Blog said...

love this pattern Toni ..especially for that extra coverage around the upper tummy ..where that little roll gathers ..i am thinking it will hide that well...

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