Tuesday 29 May 2012

Kwik Sew 2694/2900 -Remnant of a Remnant Top.

It feels good to be back on the bandwagon so to speak- selfishly sewing for me !
I have been doing some boring sewing - sheets, pillowcases and a swing seat roof cover.
This was very good for stashbusting but not so good for my sewing psyche.
However I did manage to use the OLDEST piece of fabric from my stash in doing so  - 2 and 1/2 metres of garbadine in exactly the same grey that primary school boys have their pants made of - see why it was in the stash for so long . When I got married I inherited this fabric from my new husband - see my husband came with a dowry - free fabric - how could I have not married him. Pity the fabric was ugly but beggars can not be choosers -lol. ( If you want to know I have been married 22 years and the fabric was at least 6 years old when I received it . )

So I have eventually gotten around to sewing the remnant knit from my daughters knit top( from my last post )  that in itself was a remnant from my eldest DD`s knit skirt !
My tatty Kwik Sew Pattern - 2694.
I used Kwik Sew 2694 but added in the long sleeves from Kwik Sew 2900 and also added a band around the front/back pieces . I choose KS 2694 because the front upper and lower bodice pieces are only small - perfectly  suited for my scraps. I only had enough fabric to cut one sleeve and the lower front  bodice and one upper front and the band . I really liked this fabric and was determined that I should get a garment out of it somehow ! A few weeks ago my Mum took me to Darn Cheap Fabrics in Heidelberg , Melbourne. I didn`t have my remnant material with me so I had to make a guess as to what would match  relying on my memory ( that can be dodgy sometimes ). I bought some dark teal mesh and although it doesn`t match perfectly I think it blends in quite well.

This pattern is very simple to sew - I made this top over the course of a week in about 6 easy sewing sessions including cutting out. I doubled the mesh where used for the back, one sleeve and one upper front - this eliminates the see -through factor and makes the top a bit more snuggly warm. Before sewing the garment I stitched the mesh together at the tops and bottoms of the pattern pieces and then just treated them as one piece of material.
I have previously sewn Kwik Sew 2694 twice before - the upper front is a bit revealing - I have to wear those tops with a camisole underneath . Adding the front band has eliminated this need. I simply cut out two long rectangles 5cm wide and sewed them together. Then this long rectangular piece is folded together - wrong sides together - and attached to the garment ( after you have sewn the upper fronts to the back ) right sides together. I then zigzagged the raw edge , ironed this and top stitched the band on the main garment pieces. Also as I was attaching the band I stretched this fabric slightly to snug up the front bodices.
I would highly recommend this pattern although it is getting pretty old now.

Now here is my ` happy` problem` - I used up all my remnant knit but in buying the  teal mesh I asked for 1 1/2 metres but the sales assistant was very generous and gave me what was left on the roll - over 3 metres ! So now I have a remnant of the teal mesh and now I will have to buy more fabric to use up this remnant ! I know - lucky these are the `problems` I face.

Hope everyone is happy and healthy. Cheers Janine.

8 comments:

  1. Does your husband know he was married for his fabric? ;) Cute and uber thrifty top, and very good selection of the sales assistant.

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  2. You have made a great top. I love the mix and match to get a lovely top out of your material.

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  3. That is funny that you ended up with a new remnant, and that your husband came with a fabric dowry!
    I think you picked the teal colour very well.

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  4. This is my fav pattern. You are lucky.

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  5. Nice colour combination....oh the problems we sewers have. Not only have you a new leftover top the leftovers are breeding, wow!

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  6. Your "remnant of a remnant" looks gorgeous! Contrasting fabrics are trending now in RTW. This KS pattern is a classic! This style has been around and will continue to be around.

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  7. Hehe not a terrible problem when the fabric is as pretty as that! I like how you've placed the different pieces together on your new top :)

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  8. Hi Janine! the fabric stores in Paris are absolutely wonderful! There are stacks and stacks of them, at least twelve, on and around the rue d'Orsel, in the Montmartre area, just below the funicular. Nearest Metro stop; Anvers. It's kind of overwhelming as to which shop to recommend, there are so many! but I bought a fair bit of really beautiful fabric at Sacre Coupons, 4 bis rue d'Orsel. I hope your family find some wonderful fabric for you!

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