Astoria

One indie designer I follow (okay, George + Ginger) was having a sale and I was seriously considering a dress that seemed to be the current vogue...a swooping colour blocked gathered side panel. However, I wasn't sure how I would alter it for a FBA. Then, before I could decide, Peek-a-Boo Patterns released the Astoria.  With a sale. How could I not? This is also the name of an album by Canadian band, Marianas Trench. My middle girl, Lucy, became a Trencher and since I had to take her to concerts, I became one too. Perhaps not my favourite band  (some screeching, swearing, etc) but I do think they have a really unique talent for song writing.

I had just gotten some brown (or I bought it after the pattern release? Does it matter?). I wanted to make another top to go with this skirt . What? There's no skirt in that post? Um yeah. I still don't have a picture, because I haven't worn it since the summer. But I've worn this new top a few times. However, with brown pants, it feels like there's too much brown (especially since it's not an exact match LOL).

I was all eager to do the FBA. A princess seam! I had just done that on the Riki dress! No problem! Uh. The front piece for this top is cut flat, not on the fold. No problem! Just flip it over and do the FBA on the opposite half. Uh. There's a seam there, right through the bust. And the centre front piece is extra long because it's gathered.

Basically, I ended up joining the centre piece and the side piece together with tape and doing the FBA on it that way, and then separating the pieces. It made sense in my head, but I wasn't sure if it was going to all work, given the swoop shape and the gathers.

So much surgery on the pattern. And I thought when I had my surgery, I wouldn't need to do this sort of thing. Actually, when I had my surgery, I wasn't sewing for myself. So I had no clue. 

Gratuitous shot of hubby and me, at Queen's Homecoming

Hanger shot, cause I don't seem to have an actual on-the-body shot. It's a little washed out in this photo.

 This picture was actually about my curly hair. Which by the end of the day was flat and fluffy. I'm experimenting with "The Curly Girl Method" but I don't know that I like how it looks with a "cast" (when the hair is crispy with product, but the curls are defined).

I bought the brown from Midnight Mountains Fabrics. I'm sure you can google that. I really like the quality but got frustrated because they sent only half a meter instead of a full meter. I did make underwear with the 1/2 meter, so that was okay. I've ordered three times from them and twice they've messed it up. I've gotten to keep the mistake fabric both times though. This is nice stuff, but I'm not really used to such a elastic cotton and although it probably looks fine on, I kind of feel it should be slightly larger. I keep saying this every time I make something with these better cotton-lycra fabrics!  The other thing...the selvage of the fabric was odd. Never seen that before.

Overall, I'm quite happy with the shirt. I can't wait to wear it with the skirt. I thought it would be good with my brown pants too, but it's just too much brown. So I wear it with beige pants. I'm fine with that. I do plan to make more of these tops, but it does take a fair bit more fabric than just the plain short sleeve t-shirts I make. The front piece is quite a bit longer, so a meter isn't enough. And the long sleeves adds to the requirements. I don't like really long sleeves though, so I made them shorter. But if I remember, I was really squishing this in on the fabric.  I had hoped to make it with a cowl in the print fabric, but I didn't have enough. Since my printer is broken and I can't make any of the newer patterns I've bought, maybe I should make another of these....