Yes, my title is swiped shamelessly from Issey Miyake’s famous 1993 collection, but I reckon that is OK since this is an Issey Miyake design ;)And you’ve probably noticed that it is yellow. A yellow top. Very yellow. Quaite quaite yellow. As yellow as.
I’ve just been feeling very yellow-philic lately. Don’t bother to look that word up, I just made it up just then. “Philic”, meaning “attracted to” of course.
Oh, you’re welcome. Don’t ever say this blog is not ed-you-cational!
I’ve been hunting for yellow fabric for ages…. and it just doesn’t ever seem to be “in”. And I don’t mean pastel primrose yellow, which is inexplicably always represented but which is too dreadful on me: I wanted intense! Saffron yellow! Fierce yellow! Bold yellow!Finally I spotted this satisfyingly ferocious, yellow silk in the Fabric Store, in Melbourne, during our trip away last September, and snapped it up! Then came the decision of what to make it in… a decision swiftly and easily made when I laid eyes upon this Issey Miyake pattern, Vogue 1142. My yellow silk is that very flimsy and flighty stuff, the sort that slithers across the table with the slightest breathe, so I knew it would be a good choice; not too bulky when tripled up with this pleat-tastic design.
Oh, anothermade-up word. Honestly….
I wrote a pattern review, below, but there is a kinda major issue with making up this pattern that I thought it worth mentioning separately… the pattern instruction just says “fold pleats in place, and press” and then those pleats are not even mentioned again, like bob’s your uncle and that is all that is needed.
Hello? The sharpness and evenness of those perfectly spaced pleats is only, like absolutely integralto the visual success of the design imo. Wouldn’t those merely pressed-down pleats simply wash out with the very first wash??? Or, even just fall out on their own, with wear? And then your top will just be a formless flowy thing; which admittedly could still probably look quite pretty, but will not be the tiniest bit sculptural and would have lost all the character of the original. I really like the sharp sculptural lines of the one on the cover.
Accordingly I took the precaution of edge-stitching each and every pleat down immediately after pressing. This step was fiddly, and accounted for the bulk of my time to make the top; but I think it is essential to keep those pleats nice and crisp for forever: so therefore it is worth it. In fact I just hopped over to Pattern review to check out the other reviews and noticed that no one else mentioned how they tackled the permanency or lack thereof, of their pleating; and I am curious as to how their pleats fared in the wash??
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Some deet shots; there is a heck of a lot of topstitching in this top;
the side seams are flat-felled in wide seam allowances
Details:
Top; Vogue 1142, yellow silk
Shorts; Burda 7723, white linen, details and my review of this pattern here
Sandals; Misano
Pattern Description:
Loose-fitting pull-over top has pleats and stitched hems. Wrong side of fabric shows.
Pattern Sizing:
American sizes 6-14; I cut the size 10
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Yes.
Loose-fitting pull-over top has pleats and stitched hems. Wrong side of fabric shows.
Pattern Sizing:
American sizes 6-14; I cut the size 10
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Ohh, the instructions are very easy to follow... In my opinion a lot of extra top-stitching is essential in order to prepare this garment to stand up to normal washing and wearing.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I absolutely love the design concept; the way a couple of almost-rectangles can be tweaked here and there before being… well to put it frankly; pretty much slapped roughly together, and magically become transformed into a rather romantic, artistic and very unusual blouse.
Fabric Used:
Very thin and slippery silk
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
After pressing each pleat in place, I edge-stitched each and every fold of each pleat, to make it a permanent fold. Yup. Each, and. Every. Fold. To not do this would be to lose all those pleats with the very first wash. And since I spent about five minutes carefully measuring each fold before pressing; losing them was not an option I wanted to consider!
Ohh, the instructions are very easy to follow... In my opinion a lot of extra top-stitching is essential in order to prepare this garment to stand up to normal washing and wearing.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I absolutely love the design concept; the way a couple of almost-rectangles can be tweaked here and there before being… well to put it frankly; pretty much slapped roughly together, and magically become transformed into a rather romantic, artistic and very unusual blouse.
Fabric Used:
Very thin and slippery silk
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
After pressing each pleat in place, I edge-stitched each and every fold of each pleat, to make it a permanent fold. Yup. Each, and. Every. Fold. To not do this would be to lose all those pleats with the very first wash. And since I spent about five minutes carefully measuring each fold before pressing; losing them was not an option I wanted to consider!
In fact I cannot understand why the permanency of the pleats is not considered and addressed in the instructions…
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I probably will want another one of this summery and airy little top sometime. I recommend this top pattern to the meticulous seamster who craves romance and drama in her wardrobe, but still likes to be comfy.
Conclusion:
It is super comfortable and very forgiving to wear, and nicely easy breezy for summer. On top of that, it is a delightfully unusual, undeniably cool and very funky garment. I feel rather artistique in this top :)
