Vintage Vogue 6056: Houndstooth top

What an awful saying "killing two birds with one stone" really is when you break it down. I was trying to explain to Anna the figurative meaning of the saying, but being 6 years old she couldn't quite get past the literal meaning. But why mummy? You said we should never hurt animals. Why would you want to kill a bird with a stone? Ahh, to be six years old again with such an innocent outlook on things!

So let me try this in a PC way: my latest project achieved multiple outcomes whilst utilising a streamlined approach to achieve maximum efficiencies (I have told you I work for the government right? We excel at jargon like this!). Not only did I end up with a lovely top to wear, but I also used up two separate pieces of scrap fabric and used a previously unused vintage pattern from my rather large stash. A win any way you say it!

 After I made the Simplicity dress in the last post, I had a large-ish bit and some odd shaped bits left over of the houndstooth fabric. Keeping in mind my recently self imposed rule of trying to use up fabric scraps in a meaningful way rather than hoard them, I decided to make this quick top instead of tidying up my sewing room after the dress project (which is my other recently self imposed rule!).

I used a 1960s era Vogue pattern (Vogue 6056), which was one of the patterns I got in my massive pattern haul in January:

I paired this fabric with some black knit fabric leftover from long ago project, because I didn't have enough of either fabrics but together I managed to eek out this top, albeit with shorter sleeves than the pattern is designed for.

It seems that practically every pattern company these days has a raglan pattern but what I like about this vintage Vogue pattern is that it has a bust dart to give some subtle shaping whilst still being a boxy, casual style.

The pattern was designed for woven fabrics, and has a front and back facing at the neckline which I substituted with a neckband since I was using a knit fabric. It's a one piece raglan sleeve, with a shoulder dart to give a bit of shaping which seems to sit well enough on my narrow, sloping shoulders.

Overall it was a super quick and easy top to make, but is great for my more casual days and it means more fabric out of my sewing room and into my wardrobe.