It was a damn hot summer in Los Angeles (and now it’s leaking into fall–no wonder people think we don’t have “seasons” here). Like triple-digits hot. Even though this is technically an urban desert, it’s not very common to go over 100 out here by the ocean. But it happened this year.
To cope I made the True Bias Ogden camisole tank top. I made four, to be exact, but only three are wearable. (The first one was a tester out of a leopard printed bed sheet but I sewed it very quickly without a lining or matching thread, so it’s not really for public consumption.)
This pattern is beloved by the online sewing community. Everyone raves about how the low back doesn’t show a bra! I did not have this experience, even after shortening the straps, so I brought up the back about 1.5 inches.
The second one/first wearable cami is the mustard, also made out of bed sheets! I have a couple cotton sateen sheets that are so comfy to make clothes out of so I use them for making secret pajamas testing patterns.
The only problem with this is that the color is really close to my own skin tone (I’m from a race of people with mustard yellow skin, you see) so it’s weird having little contrast between me and my clothes. It’s almost like being naked but not at the same time.
So anyway…
After making this one I decided an FBA might be helpful.
The third time around I used this green eyelet cotton and experimented with turning the lining into a shelf bra–after I added a dart to accommodate the boobage. But I did not move the dart to account for the lack of bra wearing, so the darts are a little high.
Oops. Who cares? No one can tell. They’re pretty well hidden inside the flower design.
I made the lining into a shelf bra by simply adding fold over elastic (FOE) to the hem of the lining. I totally guessed at the length and used some crappy FOE, so it’s not really that well done. But I still wear it bra less.
I just can’t, you know, run in it or anything.
And it is really nice not to have to wear a bra. I even added bra-like hardware to the straps to make them adjustable, but that was totally unnecessary. The straps just need to be shortened, period.
The final Ogden is my most disappointing one, and yet the one I thought would be my favorite. Spoiler alert: it’s not.
Made out of a red linen blend I got for a veritable STEAL downtown, I had imagined this to be the perfect garment for the hellish summer we were having.
The problem? The damn fabric stretched like no one’s business–in ALL directions! I made it in the exact same dimensions as the mustard bed sheet one, and by the time I was finished, I had to take in 2″ on each side seam for a total of FOUR INCHES OF WIDTH. Then I washed it in cold water and threw it in the dryer on high with everything else hoping it would shrink a bit.
My dryer had other plans, though. It decided to catch the straps in the door and twist the entire garment about, stretching it even further.
Pro tip: stick these suckers in garment bags if you’re foolish enough to dry them in a dryer.
The cami came out FIVE inches longer than the other two, and when I say longer, I mean EVERYWHERE. The straps are longer, the v-neck is deeper and the armholes definitely show off that strapless bra.
Also, I hate strapless bras with the intensity of a million burning suns.
So this last one is a total fail. I’m not even sure how to salvage it. It’s a pity because the fabric is so light and breathable, just great. I do have another make out of the same fabric, a pretty short red shift with slits in the sleeves. Maybe I’ll post that for the Little Red Dress Project, as it will probably still be stinkin’ hot here in a month.
This was my first time using a True Bias and found the pattern and instructions very easy to use. I think I want to make it again, in a plain white to wear as a layering piece under cardigans. Or maybe plain black. Really, the possibilities are endless.
