My Birthday Shirt and a stop in the NYC Garment District.

Christmas has come and gone and now we are onto my birthday and New Years.

The Monday of Christmas week found me in NYC with an afternoon to spare. hmmmm... what does one do in NYC with 5 hours of uninterrupted time??? Hit the garment district and go fabric shopping! An early birthday gift to myself. :-)

The only problem is that I promised myself NOT to go fabric shopping in NYC again until I used the last of my fabric up from when I went shopping last year. UGH... well, last year was a quick stop at mood only with the purchase of 3 panels of an end of Roberto Cavalli 'Just Cavalli' fabric and it just happens that this piece of fabric was already out on my cutting table just waiting to be made into a new top for me to wear on my birthday. So, I reasoned to myself that as long as I made good on getting that top done for my birthday then the fabric was officially used... gotta love good reasoning!

Well, I spent all afternoon in the Garment district and hit 5 fabric shops, 2 trim shops and a bead shop! It was wonderful and such a nice treat :)

Now, onto my birthday shirt. I have hemmed and hawed over what to do with this fabric for several months. I have had it on a hanger where I can see it, I have had it draped on my dress form, I have imagined it made up into all sort of great garments and then I decided that I needed to make sure that I made it into something that I was going to wear and enjoy wearing. My first instinct was a dress, it would make a fabulous dress, only problem is that I just don't wear that many dresses and have a bunch already in my closet that are really nice and don't get used enough. So I decided on a tunic top, a piece that is much more versatile for my wardrobe.

Then the decision as to how to cut it up and use the fabric. I layed out the pattern pieces in several ways and I consulted with my 20something daughter and hubby (the artistic man of the house) and cut out the pieces. It was a pain to cut out, slippery sucker of a fabric and I was placing my pattern pieces all over the place. I had to refold and readjust the fabric for each pattern piece I cut out.

I have 3 days before my birthday so I should be able to have it finished in time! Otherwise I may look funny going out to dinner with no top!

View of the fabric (a single panel)

I had to stand on a step stool to get it all in!

Each panel had 3 distinct areas.

Bottom area like a mass of cool tattoos.

This is the part that I cut out for the bust of the top.

The middle area was more subdued...

solid black with scattered 3' images on it. again resembling small tattoos.

This is what I cut out for the skirt part of the top (below the bust) as well as for the sleeves.

The top of each panel had this weird striped area that I did not use at all in this project.

I am not a big fan of it but you never know...



Simplicity 2690 view E (minus the neckline jewels)

The pattern is cut out, the interfacing is fused and everything is ready for me to sew.