Rory top

At the start of this year, I was feeling a little unenthusiastic about my sewing. I realised that I needed a bit of help getting my sewing going again, and so I decided to subscribe to Seamwork. It is a website community which gives you access to over 200 sewing patterns, many of which also have sew-alongs. There are also some general tutorial videos on different sewing techniques. One of the classes helps you identify your personal style and design a new wardrobe. I tried to do this class but I didn’t have enough time to finish, but it did get me started in thinking about the sorts of things I like to wear. So I ended up deciding to make this Rory top, which is a simple cropped jersey top with a tie at the waist.

1. The fabric

I made this top out of a brown cotton Jersey, which I’ve had in my sewing room for quite some time now. I bought it online from Croft Mill and I expected it to be a dark chocolate brown colour, but when it arrived it was a much lighter shade and I’ve had trouble deciding what to do with it. Because this was the first pattern I had made from Seamwork I thought it would be a good idea to use a fabric I wasn’t too attached to. I used French seams and a stretchy thread to sew this, because my vintage singer can only sew a straight stitch.

2. The pattern

This pattern is a short sleeved t-shirt, with a tie at the waist which is actually part of the hem which on the one side turns into ties. I decided to make no adjustments because when I looked at the size chart my bust size actually fit into the straight size which is very unusual for me. Seamwork provide a PDF pattern which you print out, which isn’t my favourite way to get a pattern but in this case it was worth the effort.

3. The challenges

In theory this is a very simple pattern, but I actually found it quite difficult to figure out how to sew the point at which the waist band separates from the hem into the tie. After reading the instructions many times I ended up doing my own thing to create the tie. It was going to be too complicated to do what they suggested without an overlocker. The rest of the pattern came together very well, and I was pleased with the result. But I worry that the garment will be too weak where the ties are and that it won’t last very long.

4. The final result

I am fairly happy with this top, although I don’t think I will wear it very much. I don’t particularly like the colour, I don’t think the tie is in the most flattering position on my body, and it makes my chest seem overly large (maybe I should have done a bust adjustment?). I’m also a bit worried the tie will rip. But it’s nice to have a top which is quite different, and there are some trousers and skirts that I own which look ok with it.