Plan B: Fabric Edition!

I don’t usually post twice in the same day, but I had to share the story behind this simple little top….

This pretty double brushed poly fabric (from Sly Fox) has had almost as many lives as a cat! I ordered it with plans for (yet another!) raglan, but got derailed by the last minute chance to take family photos last weekend in a local orchard. We live in an almond farming area, and when the trees bloom, it’s just magical (see the photos we took last year at this time!).

Unfortunately, the bloom doesn’t last for very long, and can easily be derailed by things like heavy winds or rain, so you have to jump on it when you’ve got the chance. A sweet friend offered to let us take photos in her orchard, and I couldn’t resist the chance to make something new, and a little fancy, out of my pretty fabric.

With 24 hours notice, I decided to “whip up” a new dress for the photos. Does anyone else cringe when they hear those words? Things don’t just “whip up”. They take time, and I had precious little of it! I decided on a dress pattern by a popular, but new to me, designer. All my measurements fit her chart perfectly, and I had no doubt that it would fit like a glove.

WRONG. Wrong, wrong, wrong. The fit was off by so much, there was little I could do to fix it. I was in denial at first, and spent hours unpicking and re-serging, only to find that it was getting much worse, and was at a point where it really couldn’t be salvaged. To make that dress work for me, I would need to do extensive pattern adjustments- not the kind of thing I could do on the fly.

Now, normally, this is where I toss it in the corner, (or in the bin, if I’m really mad!) and go shopping. But, I have joined the RTW fast of 2018, so shopping wasn’t an option, and I didn’t want to waste these pretty flowers. So, I mustered up my best Tim Gunn, and made it work. Due to the seaming of the dress, I didn’t have alot of fabric to work with, despite originally having 2 yards.

I dove into my pattern stash, and came up with the Megan Nielsen Briar top.

I’ve made it before, but didn’t have enough for the full length version- so I cut out the crop top, wondering if I was about 10 years too old for this style. Fortunately, this was a quick sew, and while it wasn’t quite what I had in mind for our Orchard shot (I did manage to make something for that, stay tuned!) it did turn out pretty cute!

Honestly, I’m still a little unsure about whether this style is too young for me- and I don’t think I can get away with showing my belly button as a thirty-something- but its nursing friendly, and I’m proud of it because I was able to overcome my frustration and make lemonade out of lemons. A friend calls this “Plan B: Fabric Edition”, and I’m inclined to agree!

Side note: Husband could not figure out why I was so fidgety during this shoot! Can you spot the problem? Here’s a close up:

What do you think? Would you wear this style? What do you do when a project goes awry?

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16 Comments

  1. Sharon Aguilar on February 14, 2018 at 12:43 pm

    I think you pull this look off great with the tank underneath. I can’t believe you left pins in your sleeve.

    • Sarah on February 14, 2018 at 7:08 pm

      I know! I just felt itchy- blamed it on the mosquitos!

  2. Faye Lewis on February 14, 2018 at 5:02 pm

    Very cute. I love the Briar top!

    • Sarah on February 14, 2018 at 7:08 pm

      Thank you Faye!

  3. Brenda on February 14, 2018 at 6:01 pm

    The tank under it looks great. The oons, not so much!

    • Sarah on February 14, 2018 at 7:08 pm

      oons?

      • Val on February 15, 2018 at 5:04 pm

        I think she means pins – I love this top! super cute!

        • Sarah on February 15, 2018 at 5:35 pm

          ooooh! Thanks! LOL!

  4. Su on February 15, 2018 at 5:27 am

    Well rescued! I thought you’d made both layers at first, they look good together. You look fine in them (I’m prejudiced against navel gazing though!)

  5. Frith on February 15, 2018 at 9:17 am

    Looks fantastic and beautifully styled with the tank underneath. What a great way to wear a crop.

    • Sarah on February 15, 2018 at 4:09 pm

      Thank you! It took me a while to figure out how to style it, but I think I’m happy with the accident now!

  6. Kiki Barrett on February 15, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    So cute! A great layering piece! Nice Save. xo

    • Sarah on February 15, 2018 at 4:09 pm

      Thank you Kiki!

  7. Ruth on February 18, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    I also thought the underneath layer was part of the shirt . Very cute! I like it .
    Pins left in the sleeve … lol . ( We’ve ALL had that one time we left the house with a little something “ extra” on our me made garmet!

  8. Mary_in_AZ on March 21, 2018 at 12:09 pm

    Sarah, this is very cute! I don’t think you should worry about whether style is age appropriate. Wait til you hit 60 — anything goes! And you don’t worry about it.

    • Sarah on March 26, 2018 at 3:53 pm

      haha! Thank you, I will remember that!

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