I just HAD to pen a quick note to show you my latest make. It’s another version of the 2 hour top, which is one of my very earliest free sewing patterns. Here’s the link and a picture in case you missed it the first time round.
What’s new this time round is the use of fabric.
This really unusual broderie anglaise is overprinted with a pale metallic ink which just catches the white stitching of the original fabric. (Broderie anglaise – the translation is “En glish embroidery” – gained its name due to its popularity in Victorian England – but it actually originated in the Czeck Repulic.)
I loved the pale gold look but then when I got it home turned it over and had a good look at the plain un-doctored pattern, I loved that too. It’s very bold for a broderie anglaise – chunkier and less delicate than most that you find. It reminded me of the oversize lace fabrics that Prada were using a couple of years ago – like this pastel coloured dress on the left.
I couldn’t decide which I liked more. In the end, I opted for both. A raglan top (thats one where the sleeves come into the shoulders at a diagonal. It’s usually a less structured shape than the traditional fitted sleeve)….anyway, a raglan top is an ideal pattern to mix fabrics within the same garment. I have added a turn up at the bottom of the sleeve to again contrast the two sides of the fabric.
Using both sides of the fabric is a really good way to get two different looks that look like they were made to go together (they were in fact made together, and I like the link it creates). Most of the time when you get a fabric that looks as good on the back as the front then it’s a furnishing fabric. But there are also dress fabrics around – often jacquards – that can be used on both sides to good effect. I have always liked to mix it up a bit.
Don’t forget to have a look at the original post for information about fabrics and tips for putting this top together.
