The 'Oh yeah, that one!' tee

"Do you remember that crazy step from tap today?"
"Errr, no...what are you on about?"
"You know, that one from the combo we did?"
"The one to Kanye West?"
"No, to Al Green, with the weird body percussion thing"
"..."
"Do you remember any of the combo?"
"No."
"Okay, well it starts like ****, and then something else happens... but I don't remember the next bit...do you?"
"Are you sure we didn't do it last week instead?"
"Maybe, we definitely did it today though"
"Mm. Can you count it?"
"No."
"Can you remember anything about it?"
"You start facing the front, then you go over there, and then over there, and then sideways and then I think you pickup, step, heel, three times and then there's a turn..."
"..."
"It's a bit twisty...looks like you're skipping over your own legs..."
"..."
"it goes dededede, dededede, dededede-yatayatata"
"Oh yeah! That one!"

Looking pretty straight...

A little bit back to front, a little bit twisty, a little bit confusing....

Such is a common conversation in the pub post-tap. Everyone has different ways of remembering the combos and techniques, but trying to write it down or explain it to someone else is pretty much impossible. Then you start miming, counting, signing, gesturing odd directions to try to jog the other person's memory. Sometimes it feels like you live in this Fry & Laurie sketch.

Sigh.

So that's the deal. If you see this top in person and ask nicely, I could show you the crazy step it's actually named for (provided I don't fall over or get embarassed or both). But here in blogland it will forever be known as the 'Oh yeah, that one!' top.


It's the newest part of the Spring Race Challenge. It's my 3rd Twist & Drape Blouse from Natsuno Hiraiwa's Shape Shape book. This one is made from jersey, I eliminated the CF closures and modified the sleeves a bit (a lot). I love the drape of the top, but neither England nor Stockholm in the spring really allow for a drapey vest top, so sleeves were duly added!

Loose definition of the term "backwards"

Because I actually think this is backwards...
but can't really remember...

The fabric is from Girl Charlee, and some scraps of perma-crinkle jersey I got from Strasbourg. All in all, it's nice and bright. Plus, I can wear it backwards!

I stabilised the neckline using twill tape too, and the flat-fells are looking bloody lovely. The hems are left as raw edges.

I'm yet to decide if this is actually going to be good exercise wear.
Easy to clean/care for? Check.
Colourful? Check.
Comfy and easy to move? Check.
Aerated? Check.
Shifty and bouncy? Errr...

Anyway, no credit for guessing what we're moving on to next. After a tip top tap top, it's gotta be tap trousers!

K

Let's Twist Again!

I made the Twist & Drape top again! Much like the last version, this one is based on a pattern from Natsuno Hiraiwa's book Shape Shape.

It's made in some sort of drapery loose-weave fabric that I pilfered from the London swap in April. This was the only piece of fabric I knew instantly how to use, so thank you whoever left it! The drape is a little limper than the previous version. I like it a lot, the cowl/twist falls in a very different way and it's a lot easier to leave this one a bit messy. The colour is gorgeous, it's almost a sea blue. In some lights it's very blue, some lights it's a husky grey colour and in some it's almost green. What a great bit of fabric!

This time I used much smaller buttons. I like how they're near invisible on this top, but it would have been nice if they were added with a contrast thread.

The pattern stayed the same. I'm thinking of making the top a third time and adding some kimono/grown on short sleeves. Good idea?

Also, I'm still a little cheesed off with the pattern. The flat felled seams won't stitch straight and the bias tape never looks good. What is going wrong? Fabric just keeps shifting around under all of the curves. There has been a lot of rippling and ripping. Grrrrr.

The next version will probably have a contrast effect so I want to get this neat. Has anyone else attempted this pattern? Generally any tips for making these curves look pristine?

Should I just line it?

Don't get shirty with me!

I decided to do a bit of a Robson & Jerome today so here are some pics from up on the roof.

Possible future picnic location...

I decided to test out the Twist & Drape Blouse from Natsuno Hiraiwa's Shape Shape. I love the stuff in this book, partly because I'm hoping I won't need to adjust any of the patterns, falling squarely into the S category.

Front - bad choice of undershirt...but hey

Back

I love the fact this can be worn both ways around too.

Back to front

Front to back

All the seams are flat felled, with a little bit of blue topstitching too. Part design feature, part thread shortage.

I tried a new interfacing with this shirt, which is a lot lighter and softer than the one I've used previously. It's absolutely fantastic, definitely going to be used in a lot of facings because it doesn't distort the drape so much. I've heard a lot of people go on about using the right kind of interfacing but  this is the first time I've actually understood why.

The fabric is an embroidered polycotton I got in a swap with Lisa at Small Things. It has been sat in the stash for a while but since the wrong side is on show a lot for this blouse, it works really well.

Instructions in the book are minimal. One BIG thing I'd draw attention to is the instructions for finishing the raw edges. I think they're overly fiddly and really didn't lend themselves well to my style of finishing. It would be a lot easier to bind/finish the whole edge before adding facings. I got a bit lax and fudged it, thinking it would be fine. Unfortunately the dodgy area below is slap bang in the middle of the drapey bit so it's going to pay to be a lot neater next time.

Now, the question is...how on EARTH do I style this? Colours? Jacket/hoodie? Grey's not my strongest colour so what can I do? Ideas please...

Right, now to take some finishing work and tea to the park

K

(Yesterday's meetup was fantastic, but I'm suffering a bit of a fabric hangover...more comprehensive post to follow! Massive thanks to House of Pinheiro for organising, we met so many amazing people!)