The Accidental Agnes

I should have known when my overlocker actually made me cry earlier in the day (boy do we have a tempestuous relationship) that this seemingly simple project wasn’t going to go to plan…

The pattern in question was Tilly’s recent Agnes design, which is both pretty and practical in equal measures 🙂 I had high hopes for this pattern (and actually still do, despite this setback). I was torn between the ruched shoulder version and the ruched neckline version. I opted for the ruched neckline, thinking it would be easier to layer up as the weather gets colder. My measurements fell between the size 2 and the size 3, but I really didn’t want this to strain over the bust area given the design, so opted for the larger size and I’m really glad that I did as it came up a little smaller than expected (using a knit with slightly more stretch would probably fix this though).

The fabric came from my recent Guthrie and Ghani order and was the only choice I was slightly disappointed with. The quality is just as pleasingly soft as my other choices (a kind of lightly brushed jersey), but the colour was a lot deeper cream than I’d imagined. I guess this is the obvious pitfall of buying on line and not being able to see the ‘real’ colour in person. While I love a pale ivory, this darker (slightly dirtier?) shade does nothing for my colouring as you can probably see from the photos. I look totally washed out, despite having reasonably tanned skin from the Summer.

Tilly’s instructions were clear and plentiful as usual. The first few steps were plain sailing, once my overlocker and I had made up! I switched to my regular machine to top stitch the seam allowance of the neckband to the bodice and totally messed up by selecting the wrong stitch. I’ve completed similar steps before, so really not sure how I got it so wrong, but I did and with such style! And of course, despite having tested it out first (which seemed fine) I didn’t notice just how wrong until I’d completed the entire front section, grrr… And unpicking top stitching on a seam that’s already been overlocked is no easy task. Suffice to say that I was left with a bit of a mess, complete with several very small, but visible holes (see top left).

So I was forced to abandon the ruched front and search around for something decorative to disguise and hopefully stem the holes. This piece of lace did the trick  and hopefully will stop the holes getting any bigger… However it does make it look more like a pyjama top now to my eye…

So while I kind of saved it, it’s pretty far from the look I originally wanted. That said, I did kind of need some new PJs, so maybe I just need to source some plaid or striped flannel in a matching colour for a matching set? What do you think: outerwear or pj wear? Undecided, but will definitely be trying this pattern again, but next time in a fabric with a crisp, white background…

 

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