V 8854 French Blue Version

Previously: I made three of these tops, including this one, in 2014 — that’s why this is a “legacy” post — and am still wearing them in 2021!

OK, this is the third one of these I’ve made and, yes, I live in them. I wear them all the time. Just like sloppy sweats (or PJs!), but oh, so respectable!

(So relaxed that it has passed out!)

The pattern is Vogue 8854, which comes in this (I think) rather uninspiring pattern envelope.

I made each of these from two men’s sweatshirts — the seam above the hem is consequence of having to chop them up to fit the pattern pieces. Sadly, the sweats were bought in 2014, and now, years later, I can’t find the same quality sweatshirts any longer — or the same weight in all-cotton sweatshirting, either. Bah, humbug.

The color is actually a lovely French blue.

Notably, the actual garment proportions don’t resemble the drawings on the envelope. It’s not Vogue if it isn’t made to look longer and thinner than real life! I let it be — the result was just fine for my purposes.

I wasn’t tempted to make the hood because if it flopped anything like the way it looks in the illustration I figured I’d never find my way out of the tunic. (Yeah, give me a straight-on photo every time!)

The button is one of my favorites, from a remaindered collection I found somewhere a long before 2014. I made the button loop from self-fabric, since I didn’t have the right color in stash in grosgrain ribbon.

It was about this time in my sewing life that I began to line pockets subversively, with prints I might otherwise not wear. It is critical to stitch carefully, though, so that the subversion remains sub rosa!

I made this top one entirely with my early 1970s Kenmore 1030, so there was no surging, and no overlocking or coverstitching, just good old fashioned straight stitching and the occasional zigzag.  The pattern is truly easy, and absolutely sewable on any machine. (Zigzag not required, at least on sweatshirting, just handy!)

It’s probably time for me to trace the pattern, incorporating my alterations (slight change to the shoulder line, length of sleeves and top, the larger pocket, etc.), so I’ll add that to the list of things I really should get around to, one of these days.

I’ll also address a minor annoyance at the same time:  when the left facing folds over, it does not fully meet the collar seam.  I’m guessing this is because it was easier for Vogue to make the fronts symmetrical.  However, since the fold line is different for the two sides this results in a less-than ideal result inside facing, where it can’t be seen.

This is the right front facing, which works out fine. But, on the left side, that straight-across line at the top of the shirt just flaps in the breeze (as it were) for about a half an inch once the collar is assembled.  I’ll re-draft it so that the entire left facing is caught in the collar seam.

See My Kind of Sweats and My Kind of Tunic if you’re curious about the other two versions.