Tova with modifications

I've had a design for a blouse in mind for ages... loose but flattering, with gathers, cap sleeves, a gently curved hem and some interesting details. When I couldn't find a pattern like it I decided to give it a go myself.



The closest design I could think of was the Wiksten Tova so I started with that and modified it.

Firstly I modified the sleeves, as I did on this one to be capped, then did a circular cut-out, binding around it and tieing a bow.



Then for the back I seperated the pattern horizontally along the shoulders so that it made a yoke, added width to the lower piece and gathered it in the centre.

I also modified the collar to be smaller, cropped a few inches off the hem of the pattern and the curved the sides, making the back slightly lower than the front.



The fabric is one of the lovely Japanese lawns from Spotlight that I've been enjoying using lately. It's really soft to wear and washes well too. I love the cute design, and the dusty pink with the little splashes of blue on the birds is really sweet.



In hindsight I don't think I needed the gathers at the back, they make it a bit pouffy. But overall I'm pretty happy with this top. It's easy to wear and a nice change from t-shirts. And the loose fit and drape go well with skinny jeans.

Make do and alter

I'd been wanting a short sleeved shirt to wear recently and thought I'd like to make a couple (plans are afoot), but of course that would take time. How many times have I wished I had some sort of sewing time machine and could conjure up the garment then and there! But then I guess I'd miss out on the fun of actually making it, which is meant to be the point, right?!! Arghh!. Anyway... I opened my wardrobe and there staring at me was my ikat print cap sleeved Tova.



When I made it I loved it, and still do, but for some reason it never gets chosen to wear, even when I'm craving that style! I always thought what put me off must be the bright colour and crazy pattern, that I'd need to be in the mood to wear it, and I guess that mood didn't take me often. I tried it on and was pondering this when it suddenly hit me that the length is all wrong. I'd originally extended the length from the pattern so that I could wear it with my Japanese Black Spinel trousers - the short top over leggings is not a look for me. But the truth is that it never really went with the black spinels anyway.



So out came the scissors, I chopped a few inches off the hem and re-sewed it... 15 minutes later I had a much more wearable garment. It's a subtle adjustment but one that I think makes a lot of difference to the feel of the shirt. Time will tell but I think this might even have turned into a favourite, when I'd almost given up on it.

I think the lesson this has taught me is that if something isn't working, especially when I've put lots of time and effort into making it, I need to try to work out what the problem is and fix it before starting something new (while dreaming of those new tops to come ;-)

Tova top #3

Yes, it had to be done... just one more Tova.

 After this one and this one I just couldn't get the idea of another version out of my head.

I had earmarked the remaining fabric from my girls dress for it and there was just enough, thank goodness. I really like the Ikat design and the fabric feels lovely. I wanted to wear it as a winter tunic over long sleeved tops, so I modified the pattern to make it hip length (good to wear with jeans and knee-high boots), with side splits for ease of movement, and sleeveless.

And to finish it, instead of making the standard mandarin style collar I bound the neckline with bias binding I'd made from the ikat fabric, leaving the ends long to create ties (which are left loose). When I was pondering how to finish the armholes I looked at pics of the Wiksten tank top (a pattern I'm trying hard not to buy) to try to work out how the edges are finished. It looks like they use bias binding for those too so that's what I tried and it worked! So I'm happy that I have another hemming technique to add to my mental list.

I've worn this tunic a few times now and am enjoying it, largely I think because the fabric is so lovely to wear. It sits well and feels substantial.Which is a nice lesson to me to really be careful about the fabrics I use - there's no point in spending time sewing something that then falls apart in the wash or doesn't feel great to wear. But that's another post, one day...

Oh, and by the way my girl and I actually wore our outfits on the same day together recently... I was about to go and change when I realised, but then I saw her face and how excited she was to be 'matching mum' that I decided to just wear it and get on with the day. Sod the embarrassment, and who cares anyway :-)

Tova top #2

I made this second Tova (see the first here) when I ran out of steam on KCWC recently. Yes, 'selfish sewing' won over again :-) When I have a vision for something, it tends to sit and nag away at me, sometimes day and night, like an itch that needs to be scratched, until I finally give in and attend to it. And that's certainly how it was with this project.

In the cooler months my 'uniform' of jeans and long sleeved tshirts gets pretty boring. I get lazy and cold and dull. And not helping matters at the moment is that somehow I seem to have lost my desire to wear skirts. Hopefully that will come back. But in the meantime I thought a couple of tops I can wear over my 'uniform' would help. And this one will certainly brighten me up!

Back to the Tova pattern with a few changes this time:
• Larger size to add room around the chest
• Tunic length to sit nicely over trousers and jeans
• Curved hemline to break it up a bit
• Cap sleeves to add some balance without the bulk of the 3/4 sleeves. Jenny Gordy has a good tutorial here on making cap sleeves. I love cap sleeves, they're my favourite type of sleeve and I thought they'd look great with the Tova. If you have any q's about how I made them please email me and I'll be happy to help.

I also tried making a fabric belt and belt loops to tie loosely at the waist/hip but the fabric is a little stiff for this look and it wasn't working so I ditched it - filed away mentally for future use ;-)

Overall I'm pleased with it and it looks mostly like it did in my head, as usual time will tell as to how much wear it gets.

So that itch has been scratched, I guess you could say. I tell you though, I'm like an addict - I have a vision for just one more. Let me indulge myself for a minute (feel free to log out :-) It goes like this... ikat fabric (remnants of this), tunic length, sleeveless (bound armholes), French seams, and bound neckline with binding extended beyond collar to make ties, possibly with tassels attached. Someone call Sewaholics Anonymous, I need help. Itch itch...

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Tova top #1

I made my first Tova top a couple of weeks ago and am optimistically calling it #1 as I have another version in mind, though it will have to wait a while now that KCWC is almost upon us.

I used black voile from my stash plus the last of a Japanese print I'd been hoarding. I'd previously made a cuff with the Japanese print and love the colours and pattern. But I'm not thrilled with this top as I'm not sure about the contrast between the black voile and Japanese cotton, and also it's a bit tight (pulling at the bust). So I decided this was my muslin, and the next one would work better.



Having said that though I have worn it quite a few times already, as it's really comfortable (the voile is super soft), good for the weather at the moment, an easy shape to wear, and also just something new in my wardrobe.

I enjoyed making this top and thought the pattern was well written and easy to follow. As other people have noted attaching the yoke to the bodice is a bit tricky, and I could do with a bit more practice, but overall it's a nice pattern to work with.

So for #2 I'll go up a size and make it all in the one fabric. But me being me I can't resist making my own changes and will attempt cap sleeves, an in-between hem length, and maybe some cute little ties off the neckline. Well, that's what's in my head, we'll see how it translates once it's in 3D ;-)