V9193 top — Revised!

Okay, this is what the top looked like last week when I made it.

Thank you to those who were kind enough to let me know it was pretty awful, as I myself suspected. I was curious to see how the top compared to a drop-sleeve top, like the Grainline Hemlock, so I laid a hemlock t-shirt on top of the V9193.

The only difference was a fair bit of extra fabric under the arms of the V9193. I resewed it, matching the line of the Hemlock.

Then I spent a lovely evening unpicking the stand-up collar, and broke the line of the outer sleeve seam that extended from the neck to the wrist. I did this by taking in the seam half an inch (both front and back) at the neckline, and then grading back to the original seam line over 5 inches. So there was then a little bend in the seam line. That little bend opened up space for my rather broad and boney shoulders.

Then I opened up the collar fold, and sewed the thing back, intending to use it as a facing. I haven’t sewn it down yet, because I kind of like how it just flops around now.

Then I threw the whole thing into a dye bath made of a little plastic baggie of Deka dye chrystals that I must have bought back in the late 1980’s. I added a generous dollop of vinegar, and left the sweater in the dye for about three hours. Then I rolled it in a towel to soak up most of the moisture, and laid it on another towel to dry overnight.

Here’s the result.

So how do you like my jewel-tone top? I have to say I’m pretty darned happy.

If I make this again, and I may, I would use the sleeveless version, and adapt a sleeve from another top. I think this works perfectly fine now that I’ve taken in the underarm, but the structure of an actual armhole would probably be better. I would also add 2 – 4 inches to the top pieces to lower the waist seam down to hip level, and lengthen the whole thing to a long tunic/short dress length. What do you think?