The Work Top
I always find it hard to choose 'work clothes' as boring office wear is not me and is uncomfortable but casual tee shirts just don't feel professional enough. Most of the time I wear narrow dark jeans that sort of look smart enough on the bottom half but I wanted a top that was a cross between a blouse and a tee shirt that could be made in all sorts of appealing prints. I wanted it to be long enough to give the right silhouette and to hide the 'jeans features' such as the pockets and rivets on the jeans! I've made 6 versions of this pattern and wear them all the time.
I use a New Look pattern, number 6225. It might be one you'd skip past as the picture on the front of the pack is a rather cheap looking uninspiring orange lace version.
I do however think it is an ideal shape and just goes on over the head so is very easy to wear and has no fastenings involved. I like to make the cap sleeve version with the flattering boat neck. Length wise I cut it somewhere in between the long and shorter version. The garment has some shaping with bust darts and has raglan sleeves. I find it works best made from a fairly lightweight drapey fabric such as viscose. My favourite is this navy floral print (top left image above). I've also made it from a lightweight cotton and that works too although feels slightly more boxy and doesn't quite hang so well. A very soft cotton such as the Liberty Tana Lawn in this orange and navy print (top right image above) feels lovely though. I made the three quarter length sleeve version too and tried it in a viscose jersey which looks fine but I found the neckline stretched a little too low so it required further alterations and overall the garment had a more loose and floppy appearance.
