I had found this awesome sparkly leopard knit that I just HAD to make something out of. Problem: $20 yard. I had a coupon that brought it down by 40% but that is still a lot for me if we are talking about a dress or something requiring serious yardage, plus I suck with knits still so investing in such expensive (for me) fabric for a big project was too scary on the mind and pocketbook. Well McCall’s patterns were on sale for 99 cents at that same time, and I figured, “Hey, I can make that cute drapey cowl-neck overblouse with this stuff.” So make it I did.
So here first is the finished project before I give any commentary on the pattern itself. Sorry the photo is a little grainy, I have to catch whatever volunteers at work I can find, and the lighting in my work hallway is awful. You don’t really get to see the $1 thrift store tee underneath it that has a black sparkle neckband that went well with the sparkle leopard knit. You get a glimpse of my black sequin headband to which I paired black sequined Ugg-style boots with a skirt. Oh yes I did. For some reason I look kinda fat in this picture, but I actually have lost quite a bit of weight. I think it is just the drapiness of it that is creating the illusion in the picture. In person, it didn’t make me look fat.
Now, I, like everyone else, have trouble cutting knits. Chasing them around the cutting table to get an approximate shape of the pattern piece is usually what I end up with, and then I just pray. Plus I just don’t like rotary cutters, which is what is recommended. I am a shears girl. And I don’t like pattern weights. They don’t work for me, at least not for cutting. So I googled various tips on cutting knits, and I am sorry that I can’t refind the link, but I found this great blog article from another shears-only girl who recommended having a piece of muslin always on hand that is the size of your cutting table. It places the muslin on the table, or it gets the hose again…. so you put down the muslin, then you lay your slinky fabric on top, and then pin your pattern pieces through the tissue, fashion fabric, and muslin, like so:
Then you cut only through the fabric around the pattern piece. You do not cut into the muslin, it just keeps the fabric from running around the table, and the muslin remains pristine for the next time you need this tip, like so:
Notes on the pattern itself: I always overbuy at least a bit on the yardage because I just simply distrust the envelope. And even with the extra, I barely had enough. It was easy enough to make though I think the way the cowl neckline diagram was drawn was just really strange.
PS: I found the link! She has better pictures if mine are confusing. Check out A Fashionable Stitch for this.
