Longing for spring… and more holiday

I know I said there would be no more baking/cooking but, well, I lied. I’m refusing to let go of the holiday, so far with success:

Also very recommendable: punition sandwiches, made with DD today and this chickpea sauce and tomato-almond pesto are yummy too.

Now to the sewing. A few weeks back, I posted about Tamanegi-Kobo and now I’ve made my first garment from him (her?). It’s called Novita and it’s a bias top that comes in 2 variations (with/without sleeves). I’ve seen it made up by Yoshimi and loved it there and then. The very purple person aka Novita (!) also made it and even altered it to a dress. It struck me a pattern perfect forva fabric with a motif one wouldn’t want to disrupt. So I picked this fabric that I can’t recall where and when and how much I bought. It’s a cotton batiste that I find lovely but I haven’t been able to figure out what to do with it. Until now.

The first hurdle I met when making this up is that the pattern only comes with finished measurements, no body measurements. So what to do? Grade? But after 5-min research (thank you Google!), I found out that a Japanese size 13 corresponds to a bust measurement of 93 cm, which is more or less what I need as base for a FBA. And being able to make a FBA instead of having to grade allows me to keep the intended ease and overall fit of the garment. So I made a 3-cm FBA, might increase it to 3.5 cm next time.While working with Japanese patterns, one also has to remember that they are drafted for 1.64m-tall women (instead of 1.68m for Burda or 1.72m for Knipmode for example) so I was a bit more generous then usual when adding length with the FBA. I have neither the age or nor the shape appropriate for a bare midriff.

The instructions are in Japanese but the illustrations are more than sufficient for this intermediate sewer, especially on such a simple pattern. Plus, they’re working on translating the pattern instructions into English. The multi-size pattern are sent as .pdf mail attachment. The genius is that every size is in a different layer that can be turned on or off in the document. So you can turn on the layer of the size you want to cut, turn off all the others and in no time there is a pattern in your size without thousand other potentially confusing seamlines. Well you still have to print out, cut and put it together. The seam allowances are included though. Anyway, here it is:

All hems are rolled hems and all seams are french seams, except the set-in sleeves, which are zigzagged (all finishes are visible on the last picture above). The shoulders and neckline are stabilised but not the armhole, contrary to the instructions. I love the fit of this top, which is achieved without any dart. The trick is that it’s cut on the bias. I like the collar too. Can you tell I have another one planned? It’s only 1 me of fabric after all. I can’t wait for spring.

What pattern from this site are you planning on ordering/have you ordered? I’d love to hear and see!