Orange Ruffles and Plans

 Orange is a fall color, right?

So sharing an orange ruffley crop top the first week of November isn't *too* unseasonable, correct?

It was actually 70 degrees outside yesterday, and it's supposed to stay that warm through the weekend, so theoretically, I could actually wear this top right now and be reasonably comfortable. (Yes, it did indeed snow last week. Our weather has a mind of it's own.)

Now will I wear it this week? Probably not. I'm spending the next couple days holed up in my basement sewing room, only emerging to eat and go to work. The basement room is a little chilly, even on warm, beautiful, days, so I'll probably be wearing shirts with sleeves instead, as I'm not a fan of feeling cold. 

Now why am I hiding in the basement rather than enjoying the gloriously warm weather? Because, for the first time this year, happening this weekend, is a costume event with the Saint Louis Historical Sewing Society!!

Outdoors, socially distanced, masks required - and we actually get to see each other in person!!! And dress up! And have fun! 

I fully intend to have a new ensemble for this occasion, though I certainly waited a little longer than I should have to begin making it. Thus, the plans to hide in the basement for the next couple of days. 

Hopefully I'll be sharing about this new historical outfit in the next couple of weeks, but for now, back to the subject of this blog post.

Orange Ruffles!!!!

If the design of this top looks familiar, that's because it's actually the bodice/ view A of the Flor Dress, by Bella Loves Patterns, which I tested this summer.

In the first week of that pattern test, Isabela, the pattern designer and maker, requested that we all make a quick mock-up of the bodice to make sure things fit ok and no big changes needed to be made to the pattern itself. A solid plan.

I could have, easily, just grabbed an old sheet and done the quick, unfinished, never to see the light of day, mock-up thing. However, I was very excited about this pattern, and wanted to be able to wear it as soon as possible! So I went a different slightly more complicated, but very worth it, route.

I decided to make a fully finished, wearable, top for my mock-up. If it didn't fit right? Well, I'd jerry-rig it until it did fit ok.

Thankfully, no jerry-rigging was required, as this top fit beautifully right off of the sewing machine!

The fabric was a 2 yard cut of quilters batik my grandma gave me a while back. It was in my "maybe I'll make a top out of this eventually" fabric stack.

2 yards of 44" wide fabric is a little less than is recommended for this top pattern in my size, and I just barely managed to make it work. I was proud of myself once all the pattern pieces were cut out! There certainly wasn't room to make any mistakes here.

 

If I ever make this pattern as a top again, I'll try to have at least 2.5 yards of fabric to work with!

All the pieces squeezed out of my fabric, I sewed up the top in one morning. I cut a few corners by not bothering to finish my seams. Batik is tightly woven, so I wasn't concerned about it raveling too much in the wash, and this was technically a mock-up anyway. . .

I tried on my new top and was absolutely thrilled! The ruffles were as awesome as I'd thought they'd be, and thanks to the cup size options, the fit was amazing! No gaping necklines with this wrap top!

I could now proceed to cutting my Flor Dress out of the colorful batik I bought in Japan with full confidence that the finished garment would be amazing!

And I had a brand-new, ruffley wrap top to wear with all my favorite high-waisted skirts and pants!