Bias Apple Print Top is Done

It seems like the last couple days have just been overrun with "things having nothing to do with sewing or knitting." Just what I didn't want. So, I've been working when I could on the bias top to go with the lime pants I finished. It turned out to be kind of tricky. It's a rayon georgette, and very "schlimpsy" as we used to say, meaning it goes in every direction and has no body. Most of my problems were "own fault". I should have looked in my favorite sewing book "Sew the French Way" to see what she had to say about bias, because I think her method would have been great. She recommends cutting the pieces with 2"-3" seam allowances, and then either tacking them to a vertical surface with pins at the top of the piece and letting them hang out for 3-4 days, or steaming and ironing in the lengthwise direction of the pieces. Either way, the next thing you do is recut the pieces. It would have been a good idea to do this, as the fabric just seemed to keep stretching. The staystitching at the seams was semi-helpful, but of course the rest of the piece was still lengthening. It took quite a bit of fiddling to get the side-front seams fairly smooth. Hand basting was definitely my friend! Even the hem was tricky, as I decided a plain turned up hem was what I would do. I basted it about 1/2" above the fold, and cut it down to a 1 1/4" hem. I just used a supported catchstitch, taking one thread of the face fabric, but the weave was so open that I had to really watch that it didn't just pull a hole in it. It's finally all done, and looks pretty spiffy, I think.

The pattern calls for bias binding on the neckline and armholes, and I decided to be tricky and use a contrast fabric. I have some lime duppioni from a FabricMart silk bundle, which I washed a couple times so that it became somewhat matte, and that's what I used. It's pretty striking, but I think it turned out well. I have enough of the duppioni to make a skirt or something too. I'm thinking skirt, as I really don't need a bright lime jacket. Maybe a wrap would be nice, and different too. Well, it's not next on the list, so I have time to think.

It's much too late to take photos tonight, so I hope tomorrow will be a good picture day.