McCall's 6513 knit top in turquoise Ikat with bonus skirt

This fabric has been on my shelf for maybe two years? Turns out having this blog is handy for remembering things, I did a quick search and see that I bought in in March of 2012 at Stone Mountain in Berkeley. So for the past three summers it has been saying "pick me, pick me!" and I finally did. I love this fabric, a super soft rayon knit that includes turquoise and white, one of my favorite color combos.

For these photos I was standing in the shade but it was very bright so perhaps the details are a bit lost. It is actually a top and a skirt: pattern repeat time again. The pattern is  McCall's 6513 which I have used previously here and here. Plus I had enough fabric to make a very simple pull-on elastic waist skirt,



I have found this to be a really good wrap top pattern although when I first made it I start out with my usual 12 and it was too large so had to cut it down considerably. At the time I didn't go back to adjust my pattern, darn it. So lots of basting and adjusting which is thankfully quite easy with a knit like this. Interestingly I start with 12 in most things which work out fine but in knits they are always too big so I am going to see what happens with a 10 as the starting point next time.

Originally I bought this fabric planning to make a dress but a top is way more useful. Like this, with my trusty black denim skirt (Simplicity 2152).



OK, my hair is not red - what is going on in this picture? Also doing a rooster thing on top. Anyone else have crazy hair on vacation - and could not care less . . .that's my island attitude :)
But I do like this top with skirts, or shorts.

There was no planning in the pattern placement as I had barely enough fabric to squeeze out that skirt. Which I wanted to be slightly flared, not a circle skirt, but just not a straight skirt. I even had to use pieced together scraps to make the inside of the waistband. Which was good for an unintentionally zero-waste project! By happy accident (due to the width of the pattern piece and the print repeat) the back looks symmetrical which I like. Or at least doesn't bug by being off to one side.



Here's the pattern for the top. I swear this winter I am going to make the other version, with the slightly higher draped neckline. In a smaller size to start. Although it is so similar to my favorite knit top, New Look 6150.




This was not my most beautiful sewing, but really, who looks closely at the hem of a print knit skirt - not me. Just a turn and stitch. But this image gives the best representation of the color. The dark is actually a navy blue but it looks like black so this top can do double duty with either. 

Hurray for using a great fabric that has been sitting on my shelf for too long. I don't think I have bought anything since spring (when I bought the seersucker for my jacket). Plus when I was rummaging through the stash I found two wools (purchased at garage sales) which I had forgotten all about. Which are fantastic - so fall sewing has planned itself. 

But fall is NOT here yet - at least for me. 

Did I say fall - no I didn't but as you can see by my fooling around in this photo below I almost had to change before dinner so as not to be sopping wet. Actually it would have been a good laugh for everyone. 

Let's hang on to summer for a few more weeks, can we?

Aloha, Beth