Sewing Vloggers

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Butterick 6172, Rust Dyed Top



Time to put this one to bed. It's been a long, interesting ride that started with dyeing an old linen damask tablecloth with rust. Since nearly every moment the past few weeks has been filled with demanding issues all sewing unrelated, this post is a bit over due and I thank you for your patience. You can see me standing in the corner of our new deck, one of two. It is not completed yet, but close and it made a good back drop. Hubby and I have spent nearly every waking hour totally remaking our shade garden and I will regale you with pics when all is complete. In the meantime....

Butterick 6172

Pattern:
This pattern is a three layered tunic with five different options. I went with View D but elminated the "tail". I still maintained the angles however. I did much different with this pattern than instructed and also reworked it after it was completed. I do love it. It's comfy in the heat and casual. I've gleaned a fair amount of nice feedback too!

Fabric:
This is made from a very old linen damask tablecloth that was in a table shape that I no longer needed. It has probably been washed a hundred times and is soft as can be. It had marvelous hemstitching on the edge which I wanted to bring into the design. I used that feature on the back and sleeves. It was a fun challenge to work in the rust patterns and the hemstitching. 


 This top has those three layers and I feared there would be too much bulk so for the middle layer I used a nude stretch mesh from Joanns. It also went on the sleeve edges. If I did it again I would make the mesh part of the sleeve longer and angled, a la Lady Macbeth. The mesh was an easy sew and I like the effect. 

The linen fabric was rust dyed by moi. I have been collecting odd hunks of rust since last fall, knowing I would eventually dye some hunk of linen someday. It was sooo easy to do with most of the work finding the rusty objects. Old Man Sun put in most of the effort along with his friend Mr. Vinegar. This has been washed and dried in hot hot water since dyeing and if you have ever tried to remove rust, you know it keeps it's stain forevah. I will definitely rust dye again and have my pile of objects hidden in the woods waiting for the next foray. For now, there are some other techniques I am anxious to try. I do love how the rusting changed this snow white tablecloth to a lovely soft peach all over. 

Construction:

This is where it got interesting as I completed the tunic, wore it to work, and by the end of the day felt it needed improvement. It was difficult for me to get on. I have narrow shoulders and a small head so don't quite understand this. When I put it on the first time to take pictures the struggle wrinkled up the top like this:

This pattern is designated for woven fabrics, not knits. You can see the sleeves are snug despite a bicep addition of an inch and a half (thanks, menopause) and by the end of my work day they were uncomfortable. I also didn't like the narrowness of the top in back and the flared hem,not my favorite silhouette. 


I did a narrow hem as the pattern instructed and despite my efforts it just seemed to curl up and I didn't like that. So two things had to be fixed: the snugness in the armscye and that curly hem. 


The snug armscye was corrected with the addition of a gusset cut on the bias, pinned then hand basted and finally topstitched on. 

The hem was handled with interfacing and a deeper hem, one inch. Next time I will interface the hem with the same tricot fusible but before I cut out the pattern to hopefully prevent the flare of the bias edges. You can see them on the pattern as well. That being said, I wish I had the length of the original curly hem not this shorter version. On a five foot tall person, that one inch makes a difference. 

Once these two things were done I was much happier and have worn the top several times and  very comfortably. The better back:

You can see I didn't get any struggle wrinkles getting into it this time and it is much more comfortable and flattering. Next time I make this I will not "petite" the pattern and I think that will solve the issues. 

A few more details:




Also regarding the construction:  I did not use the facings included. Instead I did a wide bias binding  on the neckline and I like that finish. 

Conclusion:
This is a great casual design. It took a bit to get there but I would definitely make this again, maybe in a knit combo of prints. I like the layered assymetrical effect but will do a bit longer hem next time but still no tail. I like the tail, I just find that I sew for the "long term" more than I used to and don't want to hand dye and make all the changes I made to this to make it work and have it be last years news in short time. Then again..........I could always just trim that tail off......hmmmmmm.......Bunny

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30 comments:

  1. Oh, Bunny, this top is lovely! As you know I've been waiting to see this as I made up this pattern in a light rayon challis and am quite happy. I also ignored the facings and bound the neckline like yours. It's always so interesting to see a pattern made up in a different fabric and I simply love how you've re-purposed a worn tablecloth. The rust design turned out great as well as the mesh layer and sleeve trim. Karen

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    1. Thanks, Karen. It was a really fun project.

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  2. This has been an interesting project to follow from it's inception. Love seeing the final revision with the corrections made to it after wearing. This is a very interesting pattern and it's wonderful that you removed the tail - it's making the pattern much more intriguing to me!

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  3. What a cute top! I like the idea of rust dyeing an old tablecloth, I think I have one somewhere. Now to collect some rusty things. I really like how you described the changes you make, it's very instructive.

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  4. This is fantastic-I love your rust dye and I also love the changes you made to the pattern in order to fit it to you. It looks very nice on you and while artistic, is also sophisticated. Home run Bunny!

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  5. Thanks, Mary, Cynthia and Carolyn. As you all know, I just refuse to have wadders and have to find a way to make things work. If nothing else, I am persistent.

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  6. Love your artistic touches in this top!

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  7. I am so glad you finally managed to finish this master piece despite all that life has thrown at you over the past month. You look serene in the picture - implying that normality has resumed at last.

    I love the gentle floatiness of this top and the way the different colours interact with the layers. It is simply lovely.

    I also salute you for doing the alterations. I often find myself correcting garments after completion and thought it was just me, so this is very reassuring.

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    1. It's what I call the sewing reality check. We wear the garment for a day and you only then know if your alterations work. Sometimes they don't. You are not alone, Kate.

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  8. It's quite telling how much your rather slim gusset made to the back fit! SOO much better. As for the tail, I know long tails are a bit "in" but the layering style of this top is far less trendy,and the long tail look with the layers is so in keeping with itself, I think it transcends the current trend. If that makes sense?

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    1. That gusset only added a half inch at it's widest, the underarm intersection, but it was just what was needed.

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  9. You have such a knack for taking a pattern and making it YOU! Your fitting changes made it perfect.

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  10. Your new top looks great on you! Love it with the changes that you've made. The rust dying is something I've never seen or heard of until you mentioned it - what a great effect it has on the fabric. Wonderful creation!

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    1. It really is a lovely effect on the fabric and is totally unpredictable. As Carly says, "you get what you get and you don't get upset."

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  11. What a cool top Bunny...it looks fantastic on you, too! I am always so impressed with how creative you are & how you are able to adapt patterns to your satisfaction. BRAVO!

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  12. Hi there Bunny,
    So thrilled to see your finished top, as I am working on mine today
    Interestingly I have altered the bottom of mine too and can identify some of the points you have made.
    I had decided not to include the tail..........just not me. However, the shorter version, when put on with the trousers I was making it for, didn't work on my frame and the trousers are black with a thick white check pattern. So, I cut the hemline so that the back didn't cover my derriere..........not my best feature. I was also undecided about using the facings or binding too. I don't tend to like facings................but have bought knit interfacing as suggested by Susan Khalje for Linen, as I have never used it before.
    Decision still to be made. Just have sleeves and neckline to do and I am done.
    Will make this again, but yes Bunny, but of a wiggle going on to get it on!!

    Love your interpretation; stylish and unique as always. Sure you will have fun wearing it.

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    1. Glad I'm not the only one who couldn't get this on easily. Can't wait to see yours, Marysia.

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  13. OMG - I love your hemstitchingdetailing!!

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    1. Thanks, Claire. I couldn't let it go to waste. I had so much and it wanted to curve so I put it on the back the way it landed and did the triangular stitching on top.

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  14. Gosh, that is lovely! It looks absolutely perfect on you. You not only understand how to make it fit (will I ever get to this point?) but your sense of proportion is just lovely.

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    1. What a sweet thing to say! Thanks, Elizabeth.

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  15. Love your top! It's beautiful and I really like how you dyed it. You look gorgeous in it!

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  16. Thanks, Tomasa and Kathy. Greatly appreciated.

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  17. What a fun project, Bunny. I love the effect of the rust "dye"!

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  18. Bunny this is so lovely! Read your review at PR this morning. Glad you were able to fix this to fit. Fabulous looking top.

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  19. You could not tell this was an old tablecloth. What a transformation! Love your creativity and these colors suit you so well.

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