McCalls 7095 - A Tunic

I'm going to be honest...I've broken down and bought some ready-to-wear pieces over the last few weeks.  As much as I'd like to have a totally me-made wardrobe, I'm starting all over again and I need clothing to wear to work. I haven't purchased a lot of pieces, just a couple of things from The Avenue that have given me a little "breathing room." 

Now that I have a couple of pairs of pants and a great shirt pattern, I'm concentrating on a few more tops so enter McCalls 7095.

When I did a google search for McCalls 7095, I came upon Liza Jane's versions made earlier this summer. There are a couple of versions on PatternReview but they are all made from white lace & linen/cotton combinations...not exactly what I need headed into fall.

Instead I used this rayon challis and lacy print combo for my version...

...to wear with a pair of brown RTW ponte jeans.  I decided not to add the collar after seeing Liza Jane's versions, which I LOVE, btw! I started with a size XL because I wanted a loose fit but I didn't want it to look like I'm wearing a maternity top.

Materials ~

• Brown/Green/Purple Paisley rayon challis from fabric.com purchased at least 10 years ago. It had marinated in the collection long enough.
• A brown lacy knit for the yoke purchased from a now defunct online fabric store called Lucy's...about 8 years ago. This is leftover yardage which I originally used to make this dress.
• Brown rayon bemberg lining for the yoke lining pieces.
• Brown pleated lace with a brown satin border for the sleeve hems.

Purchased from Daytona Trimmings in July 2007

Construction ~
This is an easy sew only made complicated by the way I did things.

I left the collar off because I like how the facing clean finished the top of the yoke. Then after I went to turn mine I realized I must not have followed a direction because my front yoke didn't look like the instructions.  So I punted by turning and topstitching. I actually like this so no harm, no foul.

The bemberg rayon lining was used for the inside yoke pieces. This was done because I thought it would give it a nicer look to my top's inside and play well with my lace yoke pieces.

Even though I cut the XL, I should have cut the Large. Okay typing that is mind-blowing but there is A-L-O-T of ease in this top. If you're looking for a good maternity top this one would work well and that is not a put down, just an observation. I ended up cutting another 1.5" from each side to get a top that is still a little on the loose side.  

Next time I make this I will start with the Large.  I also cut 3" off the bottom of the top.  This is an extremely long top and if I had added a few inches it would have made a great boho dress!

I didn't add the elastic to the sleeves even though I planned to.  As I was working with the top, the sleeves reminded me of the bell sleeves that were on the tops I wore in the '70s. If I was going for the true '70s boho chic look, I decided the sleeves were best without the elastic.  

Then as I was inserting the sleeves I remembered that I had a brown lace trim in the stash. Once I added the lace trim to the sleeves, I was really thrilled with the look it gave the sleeves - different from the pattern envelope - but very boho chic!

A few more photos of the top ~

I'm wearing ponte legging jeans from the Avenue with the top. I bought them in black, brown and gray. The fit is not bad and they will allow me to work on my slim leg pants pattern yet have something to wear to work!

Conclusion ~
I cut this top out late last night. Got up this morning and made a new top in three hours...that's even with the alterations. I love this top! I love the way it makes me feel, comfortable yet well put together, and most especially this top/outfit will work well in my job environment! The other thing is that it will work into the winter months because I can add a sleeveless turtleneck under it for additional warmth.

Now to go diving in the fabric collection to find more fabric to make up another version before I go back to work on Tuesday! 

My daughter and I took pictures of several pieces this weekend so there will be more versions of Butterick 5678 up on the blog soon.

...as always more later!