My (probably?!) last Sew Twists and Ties project for the month!
I've had a crush on Jalie's Rachel pattern since it was released, but my crush only increased when I saw the gorgeous versions that Gillian and Renee made this past fall. It's been on my to-sew list ever since. It was a bit of a no-brainer for Sew Twists and Ties, too, with that dramatic waist tie!
The fabric. Hmmm... what can I say about this fabric... it's very purple-y? I've had this Telio rayon lycra in my stash for years now. I think I originally got it at Grey's Fabric in Boston on a trip back from Bangkok, so that makes it at least 4 years old at this point, probably more.
Since then I've realized that I don't really like wearing rayon bamboo- it's so clingy! But it was perfect for a sort of wearable muslin of this pattern. And if I wear it with a cardigan, like I did last week, it covers up the clingy bits and I'm good.
This Rachel is a size BB. Fitwise, this worked well- very nice fit at the shoulders and bust!
The only change I made was to shorten the sleeves by 1 inch because they were too long for me. I could sort of tell looking at the pattern pieces that they were long, but was too lazy to shorten them before I cut out the top, so I just lopped the inch off the ends.
The only change I made was to shorten the sleeves by 1 inch because they were too long for me. I could sort of tell looking at the pattern pieces that they were long, but was too lazy to shorten them before I cut out the top, so I just lopped the inch off the ends.
For my Rachel, I chose View B, option 3 (whew, there are a lot of options with this pattern!), which is the long sleeved top with full wrap-around waist tie.
What a tie this is! One side of the tie is super long and wraps around twice, whereas the tie on the other side is quite short (you can also opt for 2 short ties or no ties at all). I like the tie going all the way around because I feel like the top would be a little front heavy without the tie wrapping around back.
I like how the tie is sort of incorporated into the top's dart/tuck/pleat situation. Very elegant!
I'm not totally sure it's not drawing attention to my belly, but, eh...
I also went with one of the bonus neck finishes, the neckband. The primary neckline finish is a fold and topstitch, which isn't my favorite; there's also a bonus option for a mock turtleneck.
It's cute! I think I would like it better in a different fabric, but it's a good wearable muslin to give me a sense of the pattern's fit. Now to choose the fabric for my next Rachel!!
