Birds!

I’m so excited to finally be able to contribute! The funny thing is, when I saw the theme for the month, I thought I wouldn’t be able to participate. Birds. It isn’t a type of print I usually buy. I thought I’d have to pass. Again. And then I remembered the 6 yards of Telio rayon voile I bought from fabric.com. 3 yards each of two prints featuring birds: navy blue with flamingos and light blue and white stripes with birds that I’ve decided are cranes. For this project, I used the cranes. It’s very lightweight and mildly see through. If you look at the pictures closely, you can see where my pants stop at my waist.

The pattern I chose is the Metropolitan Urban Gypsy Blouses by Hot Patterns. I have been wanting an off the shoulder top ever since they started trending again but I had bra issues. As in, I don’t feel comfortable going without and I hate the strapless kind. This pattern is special though. It has an optional internal shelf bra! (I used white cotton-lycra jersey for that.) Other options include two sleeves (3/4 length with a tie, or just above the elbow with an elastic cuff), a halter strap, and a pocket. I went with the longer sleeves with ties.

The only modification I made was to shorten the whole thing by about 2-3 inches. I’m only 5’4″ and the original length was more like a short dress than a top. The pattern has no shorten/lengthen lines so I just eye-balled the center and drew a shorten line there. You can’t shorten from the bottom since it messes with the curved hem.

It’s still longer than I wanted though. As in, if I wear it over shorts, I just look like I forgot to to put on my bottoms! I tried to belt it and it helps. Blousing the top a little helps shorten it. I’ve tried tucking it in too and it isn’t too bulky despite the length. (No pictures because these were taken at the park and I wasn’t about to unzip my pants in front of a bunch of people!) It’ll be the best options for wearing with shorts and skirts.

I really prefer to wear it loose though. The gentle A-line makes it unbelievably comfortable in the heat and the shoulders stay put, neither gliding up nor sliding down. In fact, I think this pattern would make an awesome dress for the Summer with just a bit more length! If the off the shoulder trend continues next year, I just may do that…

For more, like where I screwed up, come visit my blog!

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