Simplicity 2599 in Souvenir Fabric

These times of isolation have brought out the need for more diversions--at least in my family. First, Aloysius learned to sew (blogged here), and then Mehetabel wanted to sew a top! And to all this I say: Yay!

Simplicity 2599 top with a Talbots cardigan

Now, Mehetabel has sewn lots of things: curtains, pillow cases, scrunchies, ski bags, and masks. She has even sewn some apparel, including this very 90s outfit of pull-on baggy shorts, lined vest, and matching scrunchie.  Here she is on the 4H catwalk showing off her creation. For this, 9-year-old Mehetabel chose the fabric and patterns, and I answered any questions she had. She doesn't look very happy in this photo, but as I recall, she was quite nervous!

Present day Mehetabel likes to have a variety of shells to wear with her multitude of Talbots cardigans. So, last year, when we took a trip to the UK, she purchased several remnants from Sew Over It with the idea of making them into sleeveless tops. Now that the fabrics have been suitably aged, she asked me if I'd help her make a shell from one of the fabrics. Of course! The selection of which remnant to use included a lengthy phone conversation wherein we compared centimeters to inches. Mehetabel selected a remnant that was about a yard, washed and dried it, and brought it to my studio.

Mehetabel at Sew Over It in London

Meanwhile, I remembered a top from Simplicity that fit her well, and found it in my fairly well-organized pattern cabinet. I've made this top a couple times, and for sleeveless versions, I had already made all-in-one facing patten pieces. The pattern calls for a bias tape finish for the armscyes but after some discussion, Mehetabel decided to use the facing pieces instead (which also would be my preference).

This Simplicity 2599 is still in the wardrobe rotation. I think I made it in 2013.

The fabric, a very lightweight crepe--probably polyester--was super skittery, but Mehetabel persevered. She didn't have enough of the fashion fabric to cut out the facings and the fabric is sheer so the print would've shown through, and although I would've preferred a light beige fabric for the facings, she used what I had: white batiste, which worked fine.

I think (but I could be wrong) this was her first time sewing darts! And, after making so many masks, it was a little difficult for her to adjust to sewing curves, but she did it like a champ!

The back closure is a button and a fabric loop. Mehetabel attached the button by hand. The hem was turned under twice and topstitched on the machine. She also topstitched around the neck and armscyes. The facings, which were cut 1/8" smaller at the neck and arm, were stitched in the ditch at the shoulder and underarm seams.

The pattern is Simplicity 2599 which is out-of-print. One of the things I like about this pattern is that it includes cup sizes. We didn't have enough fabric to sew any of the embellishments, but the plain top is versatile. In fact, I have only sewn plain versions of this top, either sleeveless or with capped sleeves.

Mehetabel worked on this top, size 14 C-cup,  over the course of several days--two(ish) hours per session. All seams were sewn on my Pfaff 3.5 Expression, and she serged each seam allowance on my Babylock Imagine.

This was a straight-forward sewing project, and I think Mehetabel found it to be fairly easy. It really made it easier that she's recently helped sew hundreds of masks for which she used the same sewing machine that she used for this top. She was confident and comfortable using the machine--and that goes a long way toward success. She also made sure to snip all threads and press after every step which keeps projects from falling into the "Happy Hands at Home" or "Becky Home-ecky" categories!

And, for just a couple pounds/dollars, she has a great top and several cardigans to go with it. Huzzah!