Yellow Indigo Top
Snow has melted, sun is staying longer, spring is near, even in this cold Northern climate! Although we got another snow storm last week (but that has melted away since then), and we may or may not get a few more before summer really arrives, it’s still safe to say we can see the end of winter.
Unlike many, I don’t mind winter at all, if anything, I enjoy colder weather than hot. So spring isn’t always all that exciting to me, but still, I love seeing and feeling the seasons change.
And you know what that means to us sewists… warm weather clothes sewing season has began!
I didn’t sew much last year. Mostly because all I needed was lounge wear, and that my body shape was shifting in result of trying to exercise more.
I ended up just sewing a couple of basic t-shirts and some purses (with basic/darker tones.) I was starting to really crave something more colourful and cheerful.
So I went in my fabric stash and dug out this super cheerful yellow shirting!
I paired it with Tilly and the Buttons Indigo. I’m so excited about how it turned out.
The fabric is from Japan that I purchased a couple of years ago. It said that it’s shirting fabric, but pretty lightweight and soft, similar to lawn.
Indigo is a super cute and comfy smock top/dress pattern with no fastenings.
Aside from some minor fitting adjustments, the design changes I made are
Shortened the gathered skirt pieces by 12 cm
Re-drafted the neckline so that it’s V shaped
That’s it!
I’m very happy with this V-shaped neckline. I think I’ll make my future Indigo with this shape most of the time.
I did an exposed frill seam too! This was my first time doing this type of finishings. It adds one or two more steps than a regular gathered seam but it was easy and straightforward.
I used the top version and shortened the bodice by 1 cm and the skirt by 12 cm. The bodice adjustment was for a fitting reason (as I’m short, this is a common adjustment for me), and the skirt adjustment was for a design reason.
The original length for the top version would hit around mid-thigh for me, a tunic length I’d say. Which is a nice length if you were planning on pairing it with leggings or skinny jeans.
I wanted to make mine to look like a peplum top, and pair it with either skinny or relaxed fit jeans, so that was the reason why I’ve shortened it. I’m really loving the length I went with, I think it works great with my height too.
Here are a couple of shots that show the dipped hem (there is a slight curve at the hem resulting with the back hem being longer.) I love this design! I think it helps the gathered skirt sits better.
I think the back bodice could use tiny bit of adjustment so that the back neckline sits better on me. Maybe adding some darts, or simply shortening at the shoulder might work.
By the way, it had been more than a year since I last took photos of myself for the blog. It’s been so long! It was actually a good way to see if my posture was getting better, especially on my back. (Still needs a lot of work, I thought I was standing straight but I wasn’t most of the time.)
Here, I’m wearing my Indigo with a pair of relaxed fit jeans with rolled up hems. I think this look is going to look cure with sneakers and sandals during summer.
I was really craving sewing with a pop of colour, and this one hit the spot. Indigo is such a versatile pattern and I can see myself using this pattern over and over.
Apr 17, 2021
