Designing December Part 4 – My Designer Version Completed

December 29, 2017 by steelyseamstress 7 Comments

I can now report that I’ve finished my Designin’ December contribution! My top is inspired by this asymmetrical top from the Issey Miyake 2017 Pre-fall collection:

Sadly, I only found this one picture of the top online, see above, so I’ve guessed / invented the rest of the garment. From the way the fabric sits at the model’s waist, I surmised that the top is held by ties at waist level – one tie attached to each front piece. As the right side of the front passes underneath, the tie on the right side passes through the side seam so that the ties can be tied at the back. The back itself, in my version, looks quite like a jacket with vents added either side of the centre back.

Here are some of the techniques I used for cutting and construction:

I cut out the pattern pieces single-layered to make sure that I had the stripes exactly as I wanted them. The front pieces are cut off the grain, not quite on the bias, and all the back pieces are cut on the grain. The two ties are cut with the stripes along the tie, to provide interest. I didn’t want the top to look too thick and bulky so it is unlined. I finished all my seams with bias-binding, which I made myself from a light-weight viscose fabric. I wanted the inside of my top to look as good as the outside and I think the bound seams give it a polished look. I did deliberate for a long time about what colour bias-binding to use, but I’m pleased with the contrast of the navy blue with the fabric. Making that much bias-binding took rather a long time and I hope the finish on my seams doesn’t look too scruffy as I was really struggling with my eye-sight in the December light. I really do need to go to the opticians…..

My garment was drafted based on this Burda wrap top, but in reality the front of the garment is very different, but I kept pretty much the same, including the vents. The instructions, as with most Burda patterns are difficult to follow and I used this tutorial to help me through this step. I also under-stitched all the facings to hold them in place.

I tried hard to get the pose the model has in this photo. Unfortunately, I didn’t get it quite right and my head is turned in the wrong direction.

I believe that the garment is reasonably similar to the original, although obviously only having one view of the garment gave me a huge amount of free rein.

My Designin’ December garment though is made of wool and so I don’t think I’m actually going to wear it as I’ve styled it in these photos. I think I’ll probably wear it with a long-sleeved top underneath, perhaps in grey or navy blue. However, I think it works well with my grey wide-legged trousers. I do admire the Issey Miyake’s original ensemble though. Perhaps I’ll make those culottes too when I have more time or now I’m confident that my pattern works made a summer version.

All in all, I have enjoyed joining in with Designin’ Decemeber. I found it really stretched my drafting skills (see more about that part of the process here) and I have been amazed that I have managed to complete this before the end of the month. I did have a few tense moments yesterday as I had to finish and photograph the top before travelling across the country.

Thanks Linda for hosting this amazing challenge. It’s been great to see everyone else’s makes and inspirations.