Voila: Briar Top with Tiny Spots

Yay! So happy to show you my sewing today! Last week I had a little window for sewing (I’d traced the Briar Top Pattern - size S - the week before) and so I jumped quickly into cutting & sewing this Megan Neilsen Pattern...

If you look through any of my sewing creations from 2009, you’ll see how much I love sewing with knits! Peak Knit Sewing Year for me, 2009 when I sew-ed and sew-ed all the stretchy things. They are SO quick! And while I’ve never sewn this Briar Top pattern before… I just knew an hour of cutting and sewing would be enough and I was spot on with the estimate! LOVE a quick project.

So the Briar Top is definitely a popular pattern and I've seen SO many great results with it, but I only bought it last year after thinking about sewing with knits again … I’m a little stranded without my sewing books here in Shanghai (however maybe I gave the Sew U Stretch away? Can’t remember what’s in storage anymore!), so bought this pattern to try out for winter… and as always, the season passed quickly… so now it’s a springtime top.

The fabric is a Taobao purchase, and feels lovely and healthy cotton… the cotton I used to sew my Venus Bay Kimono has a synthetic mix and I get a bit hot while wearing it! This black cotton was a punt (ordering fabric on Chinese websites can absolutely be a gamble!) but it’s lovely!

Great to sew with, great width, so I got most of this top in under a metre of fabric… it was quick to cut and then SUPER quick to sew up. Thank you Meg for the best tip: IRON a lot… because the clean finish on knit tops (especially the neckline) is all in the pressing… I pressed every seam after overlocking. The hems were finished with my twin needle, and while aren’t exactly perfect (so many missed stitches on the right needle.. have no idea why?), it’s not that noticable. I didn’t stitch the neckline down just the armholes and hem.

I love the curves of the hemline! I definitely need to wear a top underneath, for it is short... but might be nice over a tight dress? I’m on a Megan Neilsen Pattern kick (my last sewn up skirt was the Brumby Skirt) at the moment, and will probably make another Briar Top … maybe even try a dress version next?

BUT, before I dash off, I’m so happy I finally found a friendly photography spot near my house. The sun came out yesterday and I was wearing the top for the second time - just in case the weather turned! I packed my tripod just in case, and turned around the corner behind my house into another apartment block’s garden… and voila! A lovely little spot where the sun came through at a lovely direction. AND amazingly, no one was around! In Shanghai there’s ALWAYS people around! SO happy!

But MAN! Now I have to find a remote control clicker for my camera, because it looks like I’m completely phone obsessed, but actually I’m trying to see the ‘shoot’ button on the screen! So daggy, but I’m happy to find a nice outfit spot in a nearby garden in case Husbie’s not around.