I am loving the big sleeve trend and the Sagebrush Top has just that. I have made this pattern before and was very anxious to make it again. I had an idea for some embellishment for the yoke and my Minerva Fabric was perfect for embellishment. My fabric was Camelot Cotton Poplin in ruby, which is a beautiful color.
I used a decorative stitch on my machine for the design and I have detailed the how-to in a Minerva Blog post. Take a look at your decorative stitches and find one that you might want to use for this design. Your machine might have basic stitches but try changing the width or length to change to look, it is fun to see how these small changes can make the stitch look different. Some other ideas, use a variegated thread, or do multiple rows other decorative stitches, side by side. The decorative stitch can be bordered with another decorative stitch, say a triple stitch on each side. Another idea, use one thread color for the middle and then another for the border stitch. Take some scrap fabrics and try some stitches and make sure to use a stabilizer, this will help to keep the stitches consistent and pretty. I do like to do all the decorative stitches in one direction and then do the opposite. Initially, I thought I would do the decorative stitch detail on the back yoke. After I looked at the back piece and the center back opening, I decided against the embellishment for the back yoke.
The Camelot fabric was so easy to sew and press, it washed beautifully and has a nice hand. This fabric comes in eight total colors, each one bright and vibrant. The combination of the ruby fabric and Friday Pattern Company’s Sagebrush top is perfect for summer. A trendy and chic top in a vibrant color for the hot summer days. The Sagebrush top has great details, the ruffle, back tie, front and back yoke and big puff sleeves. Even with all these details, the Sagebrush comes together quickly. If you are not a fan of the elastic at the bottom of the sleeve, you could omit the elastic or draft a bottom band for the sleeve.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to interview Kay Whitt, pattern designer of Serendipity Studio. She designs with lots of ruffles and her advice was to press them flat. She stated pressing a ruffle flat, makes a closer fit to the body for a complimentary appearance. I have always used this advice and appreciate the look of the ruffle.
A bit more on the decorative stitch, I went with white embroidery thread. On my practice piece I liked how the white thread popped against the ruby color. Now if you didn’t want so much of a contrast, go with a tone-on-tone look. This would add texture to your garment without the contrast of the thread. Take a look at this fabric and this pattern, you will love it. Also, give decorative stitches a try, they are fun and for a bit of time investment really change the look of your fabric.
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