Or Another Cautionary Tale About the Danger of Faux Leather
Oh my. I do not quite know where to begin with this project. The unexpected results are pretty shocking and horrifying. So for those who faint easily or have a pace maker, you may want to just come back in a few days when I have resumed blogging about couture camis and knit hippos. But if you want to persist in reading this post, perhaps we should come up with a safe word? Yes? OK. Just yell "bobbin" if you can't take any more torture. Here we go.
This sewing adventure started out so well...so innocently...
I muslined...
V8815 - Very Easy Vogue peplum top |
I made changes to the pattern....
I added length and a little bust width |
I picked nice fabric...
I decided to make the top with a faux leather front and ponte knit back with an exposed zipper. I'm loving the leather top trend. And peplums. I was thinking it would be chic and edgy; the kind of top that I could wear with a pencil skirt, pumps and some great accessories for a night out, or maybe even to a work-related cocktail party or dinner.
BUT
(and this is a big but)
Sometimes the best laid plans go awry, and instead of chic and edgy, you end up with...
Madam Clio: My safe word is "bobbin" |
...fetish wear.
Scandalous, I know. There's really just no other way to look at things: it is accidentally triple ecks. (Yes, I know that is not how you "spell" it, but the potential spam that spelling it right could attract is NOT something I'm prepared to deal with. As is, I'm shocked enough with the brazenness of this post. What can I say? I'm a sucker for self depreciation. And costumes.)
The neck, armscye and hem are unfinished, but I already know this is a disaster. One of the flaws in the pattern is how high the bust darts extend from the waist. I thought that I had added enough length above the bust to eliminate the issue I noticed in the muslin. Apparently not. And the faux leather is just simply too spongy/springy to really press flat at the dart point. So... umm...
Bulls eye! Yikes! |
...the top is basically anatomically correct. Really, really correct.
It's worse in person. Trust me. And that is, of course, in addition to the stretch faux leather's natural painted-on look. Oy vey. Could this get any worse? Stretch was not a good option for this application.
Of course, the kicker is that the back is fantastic with a great exposed zipper.
Exposed zipper back. Alas. |
As is, this top is not good for anything but a Matrix themed costume party or Comicon. (This would make an awesome Trinity costume, right?)
So I'm thinking about whether this top is at all saveable - I love the back!
One possible option is to change the darts into armscye princess seams (thus eliminating the, um, unsightly bulls eye problem). I could keep the faux leather center front and make the two front side pieces from leftover ponte to tone things down a little bit, but still keep the leather feel that I wanted.
OR I could buy more ponte in a fun color or print to make a whole new front. Although, I'm not much into prints.
OK, peeps, if you have not yelled "bobbin" yet and are still with me, please voice your opinion. What should I do here? Oh, and if the whole thing makes you nervous and you wish I would stop, I guess yelling "bobbin" in the comments would be instructive.