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Friday, August 19, 2016

A Springfield Top Trio

After making my tester version of the Cashmerette Springfield top, I knew I was destined to make a few more of this wardrobe staple... today I've got three for ya!


My handmade wardrobe is desperately in need of some basics and solids to balance out all the prints and color. Sometimes when I make separates, I find myself staring into the depths of my closet for an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what to pair with what, mostly because I have so few solids and neutrals. Oops! Time to remedy that.

And acid green is a solid. And a neutral... right? Ha. Ok, maybe not. But I also made a white one and a black one, too. Basics, y'all.


I'll start with the acid green: View A, the swingier of the two versions, with no hem band. The fabric is some lightweight lawn I picked up from a street stall in Hong Kong a couple years ago... it's a little bit sheer and totally unforgiving in the wrinkle department, but I love the bold color.


I love how the crazy green pairs with this outfit, which I wore to a meeting and then drinks after taking the photos. Pinstriped Style Arc Barb trousers, my Morris blazer, the Springfield top... boom, handmade heaven:


This black one is View B, with the princess seams in the back. I made it with a crisp cotton lawn from the Imagine Gnats shop (affiliate link).


This one feels a bit snug... I may have to size up from the bust down next time I make View B. 


To be fair, I went with a straight size 14 C/D for all of these even though my measurements put me in a 14 C/D bust and a 16 waist/hip according to the Springfield Top's body measurement charts. The straight 14 worked out fine for View A, but View B needed the extra room.


The solid black Springfield Top slips right into the handmade wardrobe... here I paired it with my Style Arc Nina cardigan and Blueprints for Sewing A-frame skirt:


The white one, made from scraps of this pretty tone-on-tone floral textured cotton shirting left over from another soon-to-be-revealed project, is also View B.


 I cut it out at the same time as the black, so I didn't realize I should have sized up! I ended up using slightly smaller seam allowances at the back seams from the yoke down to give myself some breathing room. Worked a charm!


For both the black and white versions I used packaged bias tape for the neck and arm facings- this saves a lot of fabric and I was able to get the white one out of less than a yard of (wide) fabric!


I feel like the darts are a bit low for me. I should have altered the pattern before cutting out all these versions, but I was lazy. These three are really all meant to be layering pieces, so it's no big deal. If I make one to wear on its own, unlayered, I'll raise them maybe 3/4".

Speaking of layering, this particular Springfield top layers well with my Lemon Squeeze Cardigan, paired with my Birkin Flares:


How's that for simple summer sewing?