Emerald Boxy
Pattern: Self-drafted woven tee shirt
Fabric: Linen-viscose blend from Blackbird Fabrics
Sewn up: Summer 2019
This is my third sew of the boxy top pattern I drafted in a class all about recreating a favorite ready-to-wear garment. It is the only solid-colored top in my closet! (Although the emerald color is flecked with some more lime-colored threads, so it still has some visual excitement)
While I am usually drawn to red, I found myself in a green phase this summer. Possibly inspired by how green everything becomes in DC in the warmer months? Or as a way to open up some complementary color combos in my closet? Or maybe because I ordered some green sneakers on the internet? Whatever the origin, in the span of June and July I sewed up green shorts, green overalls, a half-green-flowered dress, a half-green-striped dress, and this top.
The main thing to say about it is that this noil from Blackbird Fabrics is the most pleasant fabric ever to wear. It’s a linen-viscose blend and just hangs and breathes so beautifully. DC summer, green as it is, is uncomfortably hot and humid, and this fabric somehow creates a built-in air conditioner.
I finished the hems on this the morning of my birthday, and loved having a new me-made to wear out into the world at the start of a new year. ❤️
PS - I originally purchased this fabric in multiple colors to color-block into a fitted dress, but when I tested it out on a pencil skirt pattern, I realized that this fabric needs to be paired with a looser garment to be its best self. (My pencil skirt shows all evidence of shirts tucked into it, undergarments, wrinkles, etc.) So I’m excited to find the right project for its pink and red cousins!
~ Photos by Lizzie Epstein - thanks sis!
Drawing process reel: Closet floor photo, pencil sketch, digital drawing.
