Sewing is my super power...

I love clothes. Don't all dressmakers. Like many of you, I spent and spend my days ogling clothes in shops, magazines and in many online platforms. Before sewing, I would constantly find something I loved (especially in magazines), look at the price, gulp, and put it quickly to the back of my mind. However, since sewing this is no longer how it has to be. Instead I have began to use them as inspiration for my latest projects. I fell head over heels in love with this organza top from Orla Kiely which cost £180 and so clearly it wasn't going into my basket anytime soon. I was also perterbuted to notice that the top is actually made of 100% polyester, not silk.

Instead I bought 1.5m of 100% silk organza from Goldhawk Road (which cost me £15). For the top,. I used the Merchant and Mills camber top (already in my stash). I omitted the yoke by overlapping the pattern pieces by their seam allowance to create one back piece and lengthened the darts by about an inch and a half.

Excuse the slightly crumpled appearance in these photos. They were taken on a whim during an early me made may photo opportunity!

I used a fair few different hems when finishing the top. The neckline is finished used cotton bias binding, the ruffle using a rolled hem, the sleeve has a 1cm hem and the top itself has a 1.5 inch hem. Phew! I was worried that it would look strange with all these different hem lengths but I think that it works overall.

My copy cat top cost me in total £17 (I included the price of a reel of thread). Less than 10% of the one I liked online and in far better quality fabric. Sewing is definitely a super power.