Spool River

I love a festive “party in a top”- and if that top is covered with sequins- there is no mistaking that you are serious about having a good time. During this holiday season, I did a lot of hosting- read cooking! I find it super practical to prep in jeans or black pants and a sweatshirt and then throw on a fabulous top at the last minute. I made two party tops in December: a velvet top for Christmas Eve- because velvet is so cozy and luxurious in winter; and for New Year’s Eve, I made this sequined top. I started and finished it on December 28- in the nick of time to ring in the new decade.

I have never sewn with sequins or been tempted previously to make a sequined garment- it seemed out of my sphere. But this season, I was definitely feeling a sequins vibe - both from sewists and in ready to wear fashion. This has been a year of sewing firsts, so I was all about ending 2019 with another new sewing experience.

I saw a ready-to-wear top that inspired my top which I was able to fashion from a pattern I already own and blogged about- Burda 6914

I made three modifications to the pattern- simple! I changed up the pleats in front. Instead of two larger pleats, I created 4 tiny pleats and centered them- see easy adjustment below. Second, I lengthened and widened the sleeve. Finally, I lined the top with a fabulously comfortable nude jersey lining.

Sewing with the sequins was surprisingly easy- probably because the sequins on this fabric were very small. The mesh backing was super forgiving. I simply sewed through the sequins with normal seams. I think the biggest hassle is the trail of sequins that is now strewn all through the house. Well- there are worse things than a glittery floor! I read a few tips posted by Tilly and the Buttons on Instagram that were super useful as follows:

Don’t use your fabric scissors when cutting the sequin fabric
I wear glasses and that was useful when cutting- because the sequins fly!
Line your garment because sequin fabric is scratchy

Other good advice -that I didn’t follow because I was in a hurry- but I recommend -follows:

Cut pattern pieces from a single layer of fabric
Unpick or snip sequins from seams to make them less bulky.

Although I didn’t follow the advice above, I think the top looks great. Again, my only complaint is the sequins scattered in nearly every room in the house. I don’t know if unpicking sequins would prevent the mess. But that may be worth the effort- if there is another sequined project in the future.

I don’t put away my floral prints in cold weather. So, the other day, I was interested to see this little snippet describing fall fashion: “… wearing floral prints in darker shades is officially a trend.” Well then…

Even in warm weather, I lean to darker florals. A moody floral is obviously a safe choice when sewing cool weather garments. I know choosing prints can be tricky, and picking florals possibly even more so. And, even though I tire of prints quicker than solids, I still choose florals often. I have said it before- Winters are long in Minnesota. And, in my book, flowers are a mood brightener.

I saw this charming Burda Style top made up in lovely solids recently, but -here I go again- I went floral for my version.

This particular little floral definitely works in cool weather with the brown and golden hues. The fabric is a cotton linen sheeting- lighter than broadcloth but a bit heavier than lawn. It is a very nice weight for blouses or tops.

This is my first Burda Style download in a while- but I remembered they ran a bit big for me. And it proved true for this top. I had to scale this simple top down a bit. I drafted approximately one size smaller than the smallest pattern size (36- which should be my size according to measurements) and I also raised the neckline by a full inch by simply drawing the pattern line an inch higher all the way up the neck. With the drop sleeves and roomy fit- there are no real fitting issues. I just know I almost always need a higher neckline.