A Gray Knit Top

The year I found my husband was the year I had to wear business suits to work.

The fashion world of business wear was introduced to me. On one hand these clothes were considered professional enough for meetings and office work, but also the clothes were just stylish.

I have a whole collection of business wear sketched and eventually (maybe in a few years!) I'll be able to make it all!

Here is my first piece in gray.

I used this pattern, same as the previously posted cardigans, but changed a few things:

I used the back pattern for the back and part of the front. For the front, I left extra fabric around the shoulders and neck to figure out the pleats. Once it was draped and pinned in place, I cut the fabric straight on the mannequin.

I used the sleeve pattern, but widened the sleeves for more a belled/kimono look.

And for the back keyhole and buttons, I used another top I had from my closet as a reference.

The fabric is knit and I watched these two videos for tips:

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEOjwcI5M9U

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfwKTUay6UA

Originally I had thought to simply gather at the neckline, like this:

But I just couldn't do it with this knit, maybe it's too thick?

I thought adding the decorative button in the middle was cool and I wouldn't need to bother with a necklace.

This top has a mock turtleneck with a keyhole in the back and snaps. I used this $1 top from Goodwill as my guide for the keyhole.

I already cut the buttons off and put them in my button jar :) I noticed on another pattern that snaps can be used, so I went that route.

Okay so I struggled with the back bit but considering its my first time making this, I figured it's not too bad and really, does anyone look at seams when talking to people? I'll hopefully do better next time.

Gray is neutral and I love wearing it with silver and orange accessories.

This is definitely an autumn/winter piece of clothing so I will tuck it in my closet until then!

Thanks for stopping by!

xx