Sorry for my absence from the forum this week. I've been flooded with things that must be done NOW. I've tried to lurk a bit, but mostly failed even at that. It may be next month before I'm back regularly, though I'm trying to keep up on taking pics, so might post them now and then.

Now on to my new top. Funny Story:
A few years ago I went through a "fashion designer" phase, where I designed and sewed up clothes. I entered them in contests and even placed twice. It never occurred to me to actually wear these though. Never. Fast forward to this forum, and I've recently seen Deborah wearing some wonderfully dramatic yet simple, stunning pieces. And I thought - "wow - it's too bad that sort of thing never shows up at thrift stores!", followed by "hey wait - I could sew that!".

So here's my first attempt at a top inspired by Deborah's style. I have a few fit tweaks to make (the shoulders are too wide), and a few style tweaks to make (the high-low hem is too severe - and too short in the front, and maybe too long in the back). But overall, it was a fun experiment, and I'll probably make a second, and even a third or fourth version of this top. (It might take me that many tries to get what I want). I'd like to think that maybe I'll even wear it this summer!

Thanks for the inspiration Deborah!

(And for the curious - this was based on the free Sorbetto pattern from Colette Patterns.)