Make Of The Month; Alissa
February’s top make came from Alissa (@byalissa) who used December’s shimmer viscose to make a stunning McCall’s M8146 Myrtel.
My name is Alissa from New Jersey in the USA. I have been watching Sew Hayley Jane unboxing videos for a while on Instagram & YouTube, desperately wanting to get a box myself. This October I was beyond excited when my family gifted me a year subscription for my 40th birthday.
Since my box takes a little bit longer to get to me I debate every month getting a sneak peak or avoiding spoilers. In December I was enjoying Vlogmas & kept watching when Hayley said turn this off if you don’t want to be spoiled. I decided I wasn’t spoiled, I just had more time to plan.
My initial reaction when I saw the shimmer viscose was “wow that is so pretty, but do I need anything fancy?” I also was worried about how the fabric was going to be to work with & was very concerned about it showing every little flaw.
I spent some time thinking about what to make & was leaning towards the new Ashling Blouse from Papercut Patterns with a ruffled collar. I also had a short list of some other options but then when my box arrived I changed my mind. I received the beautiful purple color & knew I wanted to make something memorable!
While I mainly sew Indie patterns I decided to look through my paper patterns (which I stock up on when there is a sale) & the McCall’s M8146 Myrtel was exactly the top I never knew I needed. I chose option C with long ruched sleeves & curved wrap peplum. I tried to find reviews of the pattern online, but only found a few YouTube videos which were helpful.
But I was still a nervous wreck to get started, so I asked in the SHJ Facebook group what people had made & how the fabric was to work with. After a few responses with amazing makes – I was ready to get started. I serged (overlocked) the edges of the fabric & washed it.
While the fabric frayed a bit while cutting overall I had no issues working with the fabric. It pressed beautifully & all the fears I had working with it went out the window! I took my time to complete this since I decided not to make a toile.
I sewed a straight size 10 & made a few adjustments from the directions. I used elastic to create the sleeve ruching rather than the twill tape method in the instructions. I added small ribbons to the left inside instead of the ribbon & button hole. I also added a small snap at the top which I do with most wrap styles & doubled the netting in the sleeve heads.
Once I finished the final hand sewing on the inside I had to put it on right away. My initial reaction was WOW, this is amazing! I decided I needed to take some photos ASAP. So I put on my pleather 5 out of 4 Patterns Ninja leggings & booties, fixed my hair, put on some makeup & had some fun in my new top. I may have put my sweats back on right after taking the photos but while I had it on I felt like a million bucks!
This is not a fabric I would have normally picked unless I had a project or event in mind but I am so pleased with this challenge. Now all I need is an occasion to wear the 80’s/90’s top I never knew I needed! Do you ever make something and immediately fall in love? Well that is how I feel about this top.