Red top

This was, I think, my first ever self-patterned top. Although I'm not entirely sure it deserves that title. I have a very similar one in green that I bought in Camden. But I did create the pattern all by myself, even if I did use the green top for inspiration. And it took lots of trial and error and wasted paper to get to an actual working pattern

To be fair, I was genuinely just overjoyed that this thing even fit at all when I wore it. I had been convinced that it never would but hey, I surprised myself! It actually fits pretty well. The neckline is slightly less wide than the inspirations one was, because I felt slightly uncomfortable with such a wide neckline.

One thing I'm not proud of is my choice of lacey edging. I had no idea how badly the silver lace would react to being washed, even by hand, and it curled up and stopped looking as stunning as it had done at the start, after only one wash. In future, I wouldn't use a metallic lace at all, but only softer ones. Probably in black.

I do like my change to the hemline, making it go down slightly more at the back than at the front. The original was straight across all round, but this just makes it a bit nicer I think. 

Crushed velour seemed like the natural fabric for an awesome gothy top, and it definitely looked right in the end. I'm always unsure with crushed velour, but I'm figuring out bit by bit ways to use it and not feel like it looks cheap and tacky. It's all about what you use it for, and then finishing it right with edging, or something like that.

This top would be awesome with a black underbust corset (sadly mine is kinda broken), but does not work for clubbing, because the fabric holds heat a lot better than you might expect for how thin it feels. Or it can be a more casual top with jeans, like in these photos. Or with a black skirt/trousers. It's pretty versatile actually!


In Summary
Woo I made a thing! All by myself!
Different edging would have been better.
I like jewel tones of fabrics
Crushed velour is actually really nice to work with
I have a LOT of crushed velour. I might be able to make more of these...
Fake corset lacing at the back might set it off nicely
I feel like it's actually not un-flattering to my shape - which I hate, so that's another plus!