Double Gauze Bess Top

My Grandfather had all of these silly little rhymes he used to say when we were young. They will never leave me, my siblings, my parents, or anyone he said them to...I'm sure of that. One of them was "I have a picture on my shelf, it is a picture of myself". Such a simple rhyme, but I can still hear his voice in my head saying it and picture his sweet little smile.

Anyway, I was thinking about this rhyme when I was deciding whether to post about this new top I sewed. Because, people! I don't really like sharing photos of myself like this. It kinda feels like putting a picture of myself on my shelf. I don't think it's a self-conscious thing, but rather an unnatural thing for me.

But, I DO want to share this top because I think it's a really good one and it helped me pass this sewing funk that I'm presently in. I've been feeling creatively stumped, and somewhat unmotivated. But, sometimes I just want to escape and make something...anything. I've been thinking about slowly trying to build up my handmade wardrobe this year. But, I didn't want to deal with a new pattern. So, I figured it was a good opportunity to stitch up a favorite and make another Bess top. 

This one is done in a super pretty double gauze from the new Charms collection by Ellen Luckett Baker, for Kokka. I ordered mine from Imagine Gnats. There are some really lovely prints in this collection including some amazing metallics, but I quickly settled on this bright double gauze print in plum. I haven't sewn with double gauze that much, but this particular fabric was really nice to work with. Not to mention, it's super soft stuff!

I really love my last Bess Top, but it did end up a bit big on me. So this time I went down a size and and also sewed the shirt length (instead of tunic). I also took some width out of the front and back pattern pieces (right down the middle on the fold). I've started doing this because I have such narrow shoulders and it seems to give a better fit. I have NO idea whether that is the proper way to adjust a pattern for this particular issue, but it has worked for me. All in all, it ended up fitting perfectly! Yay! 

Seriously, the Bess is a super comfortable fit. It reminds me of a dressed up t-shirt. Such a detail, but one of my favorite aspects of the fit is that the armholes aren't too tight. Also, I said it last time but have to say again that the finishing technique Rachael uses on the neckline, sleeves and hem (using knit) is ba-rilliant! Such an easy, clean and soft finish.      

So there you go, some more pictures of me on my blog. That wasn't so bad. : )