Cowl Neck Sheer Top...

I've actually done some sewing for ME! Irene, from Serger Pepper, asked if I would test the Sheer Plaid Top for her. I need motivation to sew for myself, so this was perfect.

I'd been wanting to sew myself a sheer top that I could wear out for evening wear. Yeah, I know I've teamed it with jeans and sandals. Just picture black pants and dressy shoes. Irene designed the pattern to be an oversized flowing top, featuring a bias cut collar, side slits, kimono short sleeves and a hi-low hem option. It can be layered over a turtleneck for a winter version, or with a camisole underneath for summer.

It's a great pattern… very straight forward and easy to follow. I omitted the slits in the side seams at the hemline and didn't choose the high-low hem.

I went up a size as I wanted the top to be a little loose and flowing, as well as reasonably long in the arms and length. Having made the top, I'm debating whether to go down a size in width next time, but keep the length of the sleeves and bottom hem as is. Going down a size would give me a slightly narrower neck which I do prefer. It's just a personal preference, not a reflection of the pattern. My days of wearing tops off the shoulder are over.

If I was wearing my top over a winter turtle neck, it would be the perfect size... no debating whether I maybe should or should not go down a size. I'm going to see if I can find a black, jersey, long sleeved top to wear underneath in Winter.

When I first tried on the top, I had my hair up in a pony tail and was disappointed with the neckline, thinking I'd have to alter the top to make the neckline smaller. When I put on the top for photos the next morning, the neckline looked smaller. Even my husband thought I'd made alterations to the neckline. I had done nothing other than change my hair. It's funny how just wearing your hair in a different way can alter the look of a garment. I now feel I can wear the top as is, without any alterations. Maybe I was just tired the night before.

I purchased a sheer polyester from Lincraft and was unsure whether or not it would be difficult to work with. It's been a long time since I've sewn with sheer fabric. So, before even reading the pattern, I did a little research on sewing sheer fabrics...

• Sewing Sheer Fabrics ~ Simplicity
• Sewing Sheer Fabrics ~ Emma One Sock
• Challenge Yourself with Sheer Fabric ~ Sew Daily
• Sheer Seams and Edges ~ Threads
• Sandra Betzina on Sewing with Sheer Fabric ~ Burdastyle

It ended up being very slippery to cut, but no problem to sew.

You can see other tester versions over at Serger Pepper and the Serger Pepper Flickr group; sewn with different fabrics and a mix of Summer and Winter. The Sheer Plaid Top is now for sale over at Craftsy.

... Pam