A High Rooster…

…or cock-up.  Geddit?  Geddit?  Sigh.  I’ll get me coat…

Flying high after finishing the AbFabR..oh you know, that thing, I decided to grab up an easy project on the sewing pile.  The easiest choice was the Indian-style tunic from Simplicity 4149.  A quick glance through the instructions, just in case a new and interesting method was suggested for anything [it wasn’t] and off I chugged.

Top right here

Despite French seams everywhere except the armholes, which I neatened by overlocking, it went together really fast.  The fabric is a fine cotton voile, and the only difficulty it gave me was when I clipped and turned the neckline slash/facing.  Despite reinforcement stitching and very careful slashing, the point of the V gave and I had to faff about with scrap interfacing to re stick it before top stitching the lot into place.

I think the whole deal took under two hours, and I was very pleased with myself when I quickly popped it on.  And tugged.  And tugged.  It wouldn’t lie properly, sort of twisting around at the front, so that I thought I’d maybe caught some of the front into the armscye, as we all do frequently.  Well, I do!

Nope, all clear.  Then I looked a bit more closely- that bloody slashed neck opening was at an angle.  I could have SWORN it went on perfectly, but it definitely went off on the skew.

Bum,  unpicking on a fine fabric, not my favourite task.  Off to the seam ripper then, hoping against hope that the twisting came at the pressing and topstitching stage, not at the initial stitching and cutting…

Unfortunately, I had indeed sewed the ruddy thing on at a slant.  I spent some time trying to work out the best fix, and in the end I decided on the following:

1. Cut a new facing/placket
2. stick the slashed area together with some iron on interfacing
3. Draw a new opening, as simply making a new slash would expose the previous cut

So I did.  The new opening is a sort of keyhole shape, wider at the bottom.  I decided to add a little button and loop at the top corners to keep the shape clean.  [If I decide later that it looks too low or shows too much bra, I’ll put a little insert across.]  And here it is.

I’ll be doing another mini photoshoot when I finish the bloomers, be patient!