Astoria Cropped Top and Everyday Skirt

Hello readers! It’s Friday! How is everyone doing? I have had very little time to sew or write up a blog post this week. I had back to back field trips to the pumpkin patch with the boys’ pre-school classes on Tuesday and Wednesday and yesterday when I had some kid free time I had so much house cleaning to do. No fun, but I’m glad it’s done for the moment. Anywho, I haven’t had time to write up my post about my Cookie Blouson jacket yet, so I figured I’d show you my latest Astoria top.

This outfit is a little bit out of season now, but we took these photos before Fall weather hit. I made a few modifications to my Astoria top based on some fit issues with my first one. I did a forward shoulder adjustment and a small narrow shoulder adjustment. I reshaped the neckline so it is a little higher in back and a little lower in front. I also lengthened the body by an inch and made the sleeves a little shorter.

I used a cotton/lycra jersey for this, like my first one, but this fabric had a smaller percentage of lycra. I didn’t give any consideration to that when I cut this one and it fits a little smaller. I want to make one more of these in an off white knit that is in my stash (that has the same lycra percentage as this navy fabric) and I think I may try going up a size so that the fit is a little looser.

I’ve got some bunching under my arms with this– I’m not sure if a sloping shoulder adjustment would fix that. I may give it a try on the next one.

I made this Everyday skirt ages ago but I don’t think it’s ever made it to the blog. I had attempted to make a box pleated skirt without a pattern using this fabric and I wasn’t happy with how it was going. I set it aside for a while and after the success of my first Everyday skirt I unpicked my box pleated mess and used the fabric to make this instead. This skirt is shorter than the pattern is drafted– I found that I like the skirt about 2-3 inches shorter than the pattern.

My only regret with this skirt is that I didn’t think I had enough fabric to make the pockets. I left them off and after it was all done I found I had some scraps of this fabric that I had put in a different place. I am constantly trying to put my hands in the phantom pockets!

I am hoping to get some sewing time this weekend! I am making a Washi tunic for a pregnant friend and I have a two Archers planned, but I am seriously loving the new Orla top from Tilly and the Buttons. Is anyone planning to make one?

~Teri

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