I’ve been sewing so much for my dad and husband that I finally took a break to go back to making women’s clothing. But this time, they’re for my mom.
New Look 6891 was one of her choices and she had bought a white embroidered border cotton specifically for it.
She had requested this peasant top back in April, but because of my travel schedule and then getting sick when I got back, it was delayed until this month. Thankfully it’s a very quick make!
Because the Big 4 (or Big 6, what is it now since the merger/acquisition between McCall’s and Simplicity?) have a TON of ease in their patterns and this is already a loose fit shirt, I knew a muslin was in order. She’s also short-waisted like me so I took out 3 inches and made it up in a burgundy broadcloth. I decided it could be wearable so I finished the insides too. New Look 6891 was on my SWAP list so I figured I could wear it after.
It’s a good thing we opted for the toile route because not only is the pattern full of ease, it’s also very deep. Hello cleavage! When mom first tried it on, the fit was fine; she only asked if I could raise the neckline little. Well when your clothes are made FOR you, the answer is always yes! So I raised the neckline 3 inches. (She also asked if she could keep the toile since she doesn’t have any burgundy in her wardrobe, so that’s how she ended up with two of these! She said she’ll just wear the darker one with a cami underneath. Good thing I finished those seams!)
The difference is subtle but for anyone who has ever endured a nip-slip situation, you know what a difference a slightly higher neckline can make.
Raising the neckline did require shortening the bias binding that finishes it, and then becomes the ties. But this was a very easy fix. The difference in length between the two necklines was about 4 inches total so I simple shortened each end (working from the center back) 2 inches.
To avoid adding a dart, I did a pivot-and-slide full bust adjustment, which made it a slightly boxier top as it straightened the side seams a touch. I could have adjusted for this, but mom was fine with the silhouette.
Placing the pattern was important as we were using the embroidered border as the hem for both the blouse itself and the sleeves (which meant NO HEMMING—yay!). Because the hem is curved though, that required a little finagling. Basically I simply straightened the hems at their lowest point so I could keep the border straight all the way around.
And she loved it! The fabric is very thin cotton, like a lawn, but the vendor we bought it from in the Fashion District doesn’t label anything, so that’s a guess. Because pattern placement was very important, I had her buy 3 yards even though the pattern only called for 2.75. I used every last bit of the border, so glad we bought extra. Now we have 3 yards of non-bordered embroidered cotton, so another project is on the horizon.
Pattern Recap
Pattern: New Look 6891
Size: 16
Fabric: white embroidered cotton (lawn?)
Modifications: 2.5” FBA, removed 3 inches of length, raised neckline 3”, straightened hem for border
Notes for next time: add curve back to side seams, possible shoulder seam adjustment
