Another garment from my previous sewing life

We went out to a concert this weekend and I had a few panicky moments in the morning when I realized that we were having a lovely spring day and I had little in my closet that I could wear other than cooler weather clothes, jeans, and tees.  I really do need to finish sewing that skirt and move onto some summer clothes.  I just have too many projects up in the air right now and everything is in a state of chaos.

I did remember that there is a closet I haven't gone through yet, and I found two dresses that fit, although one is more suitable for next fall, and the other was too somber/dressy for the weekend's events.  I can't complain about finding a good looking dress that fits though, and hopefully I will be wearing it soon.

 I also found a silk top I had made many years ago, and which worked perfectly for the casual-weekend-a-little-dressed-but-fun look I was hoping for.

This little top is very simple:  a boxy cut, blue gray silk chiffon with a bit of crinkle lined with navy silk charmeuse.  The cowl neckline is unlined and the sleeves are 3/4 length.   It was inspired by some pieces by Zoran I had studied at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco.  The fabric came from B&J fabrics in NYC.

 The seams are all sewn with a very narrow overlock stitch and are turned to the outside.  Looking at the seaming now, I don't believe I could do anything this fine without a lot of practice.  If anything should inspire me to practice, practice, practice, this top should do the trick. I do recall that it took me several trial runs to get the seams perfect without shredding the chiffon and I had a lot more practice sewing silk and chiffon in those days, although not necessarily as much experience using the Serge.

 The seams on the charmeuse are done the same way, and are also sewn with the seam on the outside of the fabric.

When I made this top I usually wore it for dressy occasions with a pair of charmeuse or silk crepe pants, but that look would have been a little dressier than I was aiming for this weekend.  I realized however that the top was the perfect color, and light enough to wear with the Elm Design dress and a pair of skinny, dark wash jeans and flats.

 By the time I figured out what I was wearing I didn't have time for photos, and it was dark by the time we were home, so you will have to settle for the POTF version of the outfit.

It was perfect for a moderately cool spring day with mixed sun and clouds and temperatures around the 70-degree mark.  We did a little furniture shopping, and had extra time to wander around Beacon before our concert, stopping in a few galleries and stores, and grabbing a soda at a small cafe where we could sit at a table by the sidewalk for some fine people-watching.

 My outfit provided plenty of interest so I kept the jewelry simple, wearing only my wedding band, everyday black watch, and these fun oxidized silver sea-fan hoop earrings by Annette Ferdinandsen.