Sewing for Mama Marci

Hi!  It's me, Mama Marci, as my son now affectionately calls me, which I think is possibly the cutest thing in the world.  I am modeling my brand new Tova top by Wiksten that I made for myself.  Technically this is a muslin, made of a cheap print from JoAnn's that I liked and since it fits, I am wearing it!  The contrasting collar and front details are up-cycled from a top of mine that no longer fits, but I loved the fabric, so it lives on!  It really is quite comfortable and I am so pleased, I will be making quite a few more.

This is a quick sew top, whipped it up in a few hours, which is nice since my time is so limited these days.  I made it in the XL, and the body fit perfectly, the length was great, and I shortened the sleeves for a summer top.  My only problem was the bust line.  I tried it on originally without the sleeves and I quickly realized that the bottom of the inset fell dead center of my boobs and was WAY too tight.  I hadn't finished any seams yet, so I let the underarm seams out as much as I could, but it still wasn't enough.  What to do???  I decided to add in a triangular "extension" of sorts underneath the arm.  The triangle measured 2" across by 7" long, tapering down into the original seam close to the waist. This busy print hides it completely.  Since I extended the sides that much, I had to add the same 2" into the sleeve as well, which also worked out perfectly because the sleeves would have been too tight as well.  Not as bad as the bust, but not exactly comfortable.  The fit is much better in the bust, not perfect, but on the next I will try to fix the minor problems I have with it.  The sleeve is too big around, so I will also try to correct that in the next go around also.  In essence I will be making another "muslin" just to be sure I can get a great fit before I start making the "real" ones!  I have some great voile from Anna Maria Horner that I just can't wait to make into this top!

This top is super easy to make, and I think the hardest/longest part was printing the pattern and taping it together!  I am linking up with verykerryberry, who hosted a lovely sew-a-long and has step by step instructions for this top and some variations.  If you are considering sewing for yourself, this is a great starter project!

P.S.  I asked my husband what he thought of the top, and he replied, "Yeah, I like it."  So I responded, "Can you tell that I made it?"  His response, "Really?  I didn't realize that you made it, I thought you bought it!"  That simply made my day!