Akram's Ideas
Sharing a mash-up of two of my favorite top patterns and a little creative color blocking as well.

A Quick Mashup & Creative Color Blocking

When you have your heart set on making a certain project with a certain fabric only to find you don’t have enough fabric, creative color blocking can be the solution. 

The Thread Top

When I first came across this thread print quilting cotton on an antique outing, I knew I wanted to make a top out of it. My heart was set on the idea of having the ultimate sewing top. 

Sharing a mash-up of two of my favorite top patterns and a little creative color blocking as well.
This fabric screams to be a garment fit for a seamstress.

I knew I didn’t have a lot of fabric but I knew that a top would most likely be possible. 

The question was what top pattern would be the best fit. 

A Quick Mashup 

It’s no secret that one of my favorite tops is the 1960’s reproduction top of Simplicity 1364. However, last summer I sewed up Butterick 3286 a true vintage pattern from the same era. 

Both patterns were essentially the same top shape. The Butterick pattern offered a few more necklines, though I only had made the boatneck which mimicked the Simplicity pattern. 

After having made both these tops in the past, I realized that I still like the Simplicity 1364 pattern more in terms of neckline and length. 

Sharing a mash-up of two of my favorite top patterns and a little creative color blocking as well.
A pattern mashup can sometimes be the prefect solution

At the same time, I preferred the ease and the armhole fitting of the Butterick pattern. 

So for this project, I decided to do a mash-up of Simplicity 1364 with Butterick 3286. 

Basically, I set both pattern pieces on top of each other lining up certain points, then tracing out the bits of each I wanted to keep. After turing up any grading lines, the pattern pieces were ready. 

             
Sewing Summary
Date Aug 4 Sharing a mash-up of two of my favorite top patterns and a little creative color blocking as well.
Pattern: Simplicity 1364 & Butterick 3286 Mashup
Version: Boatneck, sleeveless
Size: Size 18
Notes & Modification: Mashup Simplicity 1364 & Butterick 3286, along with color blocking on back bodice. 
Recommendations:  
Difficulty: Intermediate Easy Rating:

Creative Color Blocking 

So I was all set for this project and ready to cut out the fabric. Then catastrophe! 

I had just cut out the front bodice when I come to find out there just wasn’t enough fabric for the back. I was short about 4 inches and what I had left couldn’t all be cut on the fold. 

Adding a center seam instead of using the fold, wouldn’t be a big issue. It was the missing 4 inches. After racking my brain for a while I came up with the idea of doing a creative color block. 

Sharing a mash-up of two of my favorite top patterns and a little creative color blocking as well.
I’m really glad I was able to make this fabric work for this project

I played around with some blocking ideas and decided to use some black cotton as a color stripe right through the center back. 

Once I had a plan I simply sliced the pattern piece and added seam allowances to each. 

The Final Look 

Color blocking was something I often admired and thought was a neat detail. Though I never really had a project that I thought to use color blocking for. 

However, this project was the perfect color blocking project. Not only do I think the color blocking adds another level of interest to the top, it, of course, allowed me to create a top out of fabric that I didn’t quite have enough for. 

I’d love to hear if you’ve ever used color blocking in your sewing projects, or any creative ways you managed to squeeze out a project form a minimal amount of fabric. 

Sharing a mash-up of two of my favorite top patterns and a little creative color blocking as well.

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Akram Taghavi-Burris

designer, writer, educator, tech nerd, crafter, baker, sewer and vintage collector, who Brings Creative & Crazy Ides to Life.

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