Ruffled Cream

With Summer well on its way, a few new tops have been in order. And apparently once one gets a taste for the infinite possibilites of custom shirts, one gets a bit heady. In other words, I find it very hard to be satisfied with what's available at my local charity shops, and very uninclined to shell out the cash for the kind of shirts I do like.

And thus, here's a bit of ruffled cream:

This shirt is not a total success, but it came out sufficiently well for my satisfaction. It's a simple affair, with a bit of ruffling at the neck and some ties to supply the necessary shaping. I'm beginning to suspect that I have a bit of a sway back, which can tend to make me look a bit plump in the middle unless a shirt is uncomfortably tight or tailored in the back. At any rate, the pattern is self-drafted -- it's really very easy to create your own tee pattern, either from your measurements or an existing top. And the nature of knit is such that it's also very simple to adjust and fit the shirt while in construction.

And yes, the topstitching looks a bit obvious in the above picture -- but it's not nearly as noticeable in real life. I do have a feeling that I'll be ironing this top after every wash, though, as I have my doubts about how well the flounces will lie flat on their own.

And just to keep it real, may I draw your attention to just how off-centered the neckline binding is in the back? There are times when I'm just not in the mood to make something perfect -- especially since I almost always wear my hair down. *wink*

What's up with the odd pulling in the back when Yvonne wears my shirt? hmm.

 So in the end, this shirt is an example of when less-than-perfect is just fine. Because, after all, it's just a shirt. A shirt that's going to come in very handy as the temperatures start rising!