Apr 1, 2014

A Sheer Surprise

I quit coffee a few weeks back and other than the 36-hour headache the hardest thing has been losing that one thing I used to reward myself. Coffee was my carrot, encouraging me to make a deadline or finish a task so I could have a few minutes of enjoyment before moving onto the next thing.

Now what do I have for a moment of self-rewarding downtime? I give myself a couple minutes on Pinterest for some mindless scrolling through all the mason jar DIYs and nail art closeups. It's not invigorating like coffee, but it also doesn't give me anxiety like caffeine did so there's that.

The other day I was scrolling I saw this top pinned to a friend's fashion board:


I was still looking for some project inspiration for Clio, Sown Brooklyn and Lisette's Sew Sexy Sewalong challenge, and this seemed like a good way to push myself and try something new — and maybe add something sexy to my wardrobe.

So I rifled through my stash and found some silk organza and polka dot cotton I thought would be cool to combine in a pieced stripe:


I made my stripes wider and tried to place the opaque polka dot cotton over the bust area:


To make it easy on myself, I am using Grainline's Scout T-shirt pattern, which I have sewn multiple times. It has an easy, loose fit, so I shouldn't shred through the organza pulling it on and off. 

My next task is to figure out what to use on the back of this T-shirt. I don't want to have to match stripes on the side (plus the inspiration T features a solid back). I may have to cut something apart to find a good match. I'm not really willing to shop for this top, since it's kind of an experiment and might be an unwearable disaster anyway. 

What would you choose for the back of a sheer, striped T-shirt?




15 comments:

  1. Ooh, this is fun! Do you have anything like a black voile or soft shirting?

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    1. I have black silk voile that I could use...it's what I think I will use.

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  2. Have you tried teeccino? It's a sort of herbal "coffee," caffeine free. It's not as strong and acidic as coffee, but it holds up to some heavy cream and sugar like coffee would. I've been drinking it in place of coffee, and I love it. And I can have it at night too! There's just something about a warm cup of coffee, tea, or whatever you prefer, that is so relaxing and comforting. It's a perfect "reward."
    Your top looks darling--looking forward to seeing the finished tee.

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  3. major props to you for giving up coffee! i've done that before, but coffee doesn't really give me the jitters/anxiety, so it stays! i think a solid black for the back of the shirt would look great. this is a fun idea, i hope it works out!

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  4. If you have enough of both fabrics left , then what would you think of the organza overlayed on the polkadot fabric?

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    1. Never even thought of that! I will have to give that some thought.

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  5. I'd go a black woven, or even a black knit - I've seen a few RTW tees that have a knit back and woven front or vice versa. Hope it works out!

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    1. Yeah, I like the idea of a knit in the back. It will be like a franken-shirt!

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  6. Black silkyness! This is a really fun project and a totally great example of taking any old pattern and making it sexy. Good job on giving up coffee, caffeine is hard drugs I swear!

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    1. Caffeine is so hard to give up. It really is. I still want it all the time. I will always be a coffee-lover even if I never take another sip.

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  7. i don't know what to do for the back either- why not continue the stripes all the way around? I'm definitely copying this! I bought organza for Gertie's jacket class ages ago but abandoned the project right away. Thanks for inspiration.

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    1. I like stripes all around...except for the side seam matching!

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  8. I gave up a coffee a few years back from caffeine/anxiety and heartburn issues and haven't looked back. I am a green tea convert. So stick with it. I don't miss coffee at all. I second the vote for a knit back. I've seen quite a few rtw tops with woven front/ knit back lately.

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    1. Sucks that it just tastes so darn good....but so not worth the ill effects (for me and for you; everyone else, carry on!)

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