The Saraste Top and Another Trip

 Hello, what a funny week it has been. What with the heat, I hope you have all kept yourselves well.

This week I made my first make from the book Breaking the Pattern that I bought a while ago, it does seem a bit of a faff about tracing all the pieces for the patterns when I have so many patterns already but I do like to try things out.  Also I made this into a much bigger job than it needed to be by making it into a refashion of a man's shirt. 

The Saraste top does require more fabric than you would first think for a little sleeveless top, because of the shape of it and the panels plus ruffles.  So I disassembled my shirt then thought oh, there is no way enough fabric to make this!  However I don't like to let things beat me so I set about using every last bit of the shirt, including unpicking the double yoke bit at the top of the shirt back.

•  I made the ruffles with lots of little pieces sewn together then top stitched.  This did also mean that some of those pieces were on the cross grain. I aslo only did the ruffle to the front panels.
• The front side panels are in two pieces.
• The back side panels are four pieces sewn together.
• I utilised the button band to save fabric there.
• The collar stand was carefully unpicked and re-used.
• The bias binding was some that I made previously from an old duvet cover.
• I placed the ruffles a little higher to further save on fabric required.

I don't think the joins are too obvious and of course you could see it as a design feature;)

It pays to think things through and not give up I think, I have made  two short videos for youtube showing the process if you would like to see exactly how I did it.

See the videos here

                                                                           Part one here

We went away at the end of last week in the caravan to the east coast and stayed just outside Scarborough on a lovely site, we stayed from Thursday to Monday and it was just as well because with monday being the start of the heatwave my dogs would not have coped I dont think I would either in the caravan.  So fortunatley we were back home just as it started to get hot, we had a lovely break and visited Scarborough, Whitby, Staithes and Bridlington while we were there. My sister in law lives at Bridlington so we got to visit her too.

I did not take as many photographs as I usually do as we visit this area alomost every year and I am sure I am just doubling up on the pictures so just a few this time.  The reason we visit so often is because not only do we like it but also because it is inly a few hour drive away.

Staithes is very pretty but only small, it was very busy on the day we visited but well worth a look if you are ever in the area.

The views below are from Whitby at the top, because you can't go to Whitby and not do the steps up to the Abbey.

We got absolutely soaked through in Scarborough on Friday as it rained on and off all day on Friday, it was umbrella up jacket on then ten minutes later boiling, jacket off sunglasses on!  So at least we dried quickly inbetween downpours. I bought the jazziest umbrella from a charity shop and my husband said I am not holding that, it had a design of a woman all the way around holding up her hands to the rain as if in praise, very 60's. Well the rain came down and he held it. 

Thursday I went to lunch with a good friend of mine, she had suggested a new restaurant on a farm and it catered for me with Gf and vegan options it was very nice.  I managed an image of my pudding before I tucked into it.  (It is sorbet on top)

I hope you all have a lovely week. Take care.