Knit Top, Perfected

This is it. This is the top I would like to be able to find in stores but can’t. (Yes, I know, Duluth Trading carries long T-shirts, but sometimes I would like to be dressed up for more than just going out to the chicken coop.)

It has bust darts. It’s long enough. There is some subtle waist shaping. There are no goofy cuff details or other gew-gaws to get in the way. It can be made in colors other than muddy earth tones.

Hallelujah.

I really like this print. The background is navy with pink and white flowers, and I think it reads blue enough that I can get away with wearing a few bright yellow birds. I had two almost-a-yard remnants of double-brushed poly from Joanns and that was plenty.

At this point, I am limited only by my imagination and my ability to source fabrics I like in colors I want. I think I will draft a V-neck version, too, at some point. The one drawback, and it’s minor, is that I have to use the sewing machine for part of the construction. Theoretically, I could do bust darts on the serger, but that’s not the best tool for the job. Sewing them on the machine only adds about 10 minutes to the process.

I went to town again yesterday—part of a long story that has to do with the husband chasing down an issue on the BMW—and narrowly escaped being part of a multi-car pileup. Some idiot missed the left-turn lane to his destination, but instead of driving on and turning around to come back, he hit the brakes and attempted to turn left from the traveling lane. I saw the driver in front of me (who was behind this idiot) slam on his brakes. I hit my brakes, too, and would have been able to stop in time (I don’t tailgate), but I looked in my rearview mirror and realized that the car behind me wouldn’t. I managed to steer the BMW around the car in front of me with about six inches to spare and we all avoided meeting each other in the middle of the road.

Some days, it’s like Mad Max Thunderdome out there, and all because a few drivers behave as though they are the only ones on the road.

I stopped in at the quit store south of town because the dolman top I made over the weekend was out of some rayon challis that I bought there. I was going to offer to let Marianne (the owner) use the top as a shop model now that it’s cooler out, but she took one look at it and said, “I’ll buy this from you.” She went into the bathroom and came out wearing it. I actually think it looks better on her than on me:

We settled on a price and she got a new top. As expected, she did ask me if it was going to be a class. Maybe next spring.

[Is this not a lovely shop? This is only a small section of it.]

While I was in there, two women came in to shop (not together) and each of them asked if the store carried any garment fabrics. Marianne said that yes, she had some in stock with more on order and asked what they were looking for. I saw one of them carrying a bolt of this same fabric as well as the other rayon in stock.

Maybe it’s because I am in the midst of making my own clothes and everything looks like a nail to me (pardon the butchered metaphor), but I get the sense that a lot of women are annoyed/disgusted/disappointed with what is being offered in stores and want to make clothing that fits and flatters and lasts longer than one washing. When you have to go to the quilt store and ask if they carry garment fabrics, something is off. It’s not that I think the quilt store carrying garment fabric is a bad thing, just that a quilt store is not where you would expect to get rayon challis and ponte knits. Joann Fabrics is missing the boat in a big way. I am not sure who their corporate officers are, but I think they could stand to interview some middle-aged women and ask them how they feel about fashion and making their own clothing. A lot of the quilt fabric manufacturers make some really nice garment fabrics, too, but finding them is not easy.

Get off my lawn, LOL.

The BMW may be going in to the dealer in Spokane for an extended spa visit. I talked to Kevin in the service department yesterday, consulted with the husband last night, and will talk to Kevin again this morning. The husband could fix this particular problem if he had time—which he doesn’t—so he is willing to let the dealer take care of it. I just need to work out some logistics.