Here's my second iteration of the Cynthia Rowley pullover top pattern. (Thank you all so much for your compliments on my Dries van Noten version!) This one is made of three different materials: light tan lambskin leather for the front bodice panel
(from Leather, Suede, Skins on W. 35th), matching light tan wool jersey for back bodice panel, and a lightweight beige wool jersey for the sleeves
(both wool jerseys from Mood).
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| I have a chunky turquoise necklace that goes perfectly with this top and adds a pop pf color. |
This was my first venture into sewing leather, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is. I used a regular sewing machine needle and thread, and my machine took to it like it was plain old cotton. No lining needed, just added the pattern's neck facing made out of the light beige wool jersey. The top is very soft and sweater-like to wear, which I hope to do once it gets a little cooler here in the NYC area.
Using leather for only a portion of a garment is a good way to keep your costs low. You have to buy leather by the entire skin, and skins run about $30-$35 apiece, depending on size and skin type. I took my muslin with me to the leather store to make sure I could cut the front bodice from just one skin. Here's how
J. Crew combined a little bit of leather and wool jersey to stylish effect.
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| The back panel is from a wool jersey that's really close in color to the leather front panel. There is some slight dimpling in the upper armscye which I may resolve with a thin sleevehead, but I'll wear this first and see how it moves before I do anything different. |
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| Apologies for the crummy mirror shot. My regular photographer had the nerve to leave me for her sophomore year of college and my back-up photographer (my 16-year-old son) is more of a clown than a photographer. But this is what the top looks like on me. |
Want to know one good thing I've found about getting older? I finally can wear neutral colors. I've always thought wearing neutrals made a woman look so chic, but whenever I wore ivory or tan or beige, people would ask me if I was feeling ill. Seriously. Now my skin tone is lighter, as is my hair color (thanks to my colorist), and I'm wearing neutrals like crazy to make up for all the lost years.
Next up: Failure on tap. A shirt I had really high hopes for collapses and dies near the finish line. I'll analyze where I went wrong and you, dear readers, can weigh in with your opinions. Happy sewing!
23 comments:
Very pretty top and wonderful combination of fabrics.
Love your version with the longer sleeves. Great combo.
Great fabric combo and it looks super on you.
Your version looks better than the one from jcrew! Nice job
Your neutral leather top IS chic. You've done a great job picking the different materials on both tops. It's the sort of thing that looks fab when you get it right. I'd like to try mixing fabrics/materials, but so far haven't found the right ingredients.
SO cool. You combined 3 different materials in this shirt, which kinda sounds like a crazy idea, but quite to the contrary, the result is amazingly chic. It looks great in the pictures, but I bet the textural element of the leather is even more evident in real-life.
So imitation is the best form of flattery, right? Inspired by you and a blouse Nina Garcia wore on PR, I picked up a few fabrics in NYC Sat. to make similar tops. Thanks for the inspiration!
great use of leather and it so compliments your necklace. I haven't sewn leather in years, but ages ago I was on a kick and made a jacket and skirt plus some tops. The most fun is using a rubber mallet in place of an iron and gluing the hems, leather/suede actually sew up super fast as there is no need to finished any seams.
That looks amazing!! I love the idea of using a different fabric on the back to save in leather.
That looks great!
Do you have any tips for getting your leather to stay put while you are stitching it? I finally bought a teflon foot after I worked on my faux leather skirt, but what about when the leather is folded right sides together and it's sliding around?
Janice, I'll try to do a post about sewing with leather in the future. Personally, I did not have problems with the leather shifting while sewing. It behaved nicely with a teflon foot and a regular foot. Honestly, silk is a bigger pain to sew.
Great top! Love the combination!
I have been inspiration-shopping recently and there are a TON of mixed leather pieces at the high end for this Fall. You are so on-trend!
That's a great top. I've been tempted to sew a similar top, too. But I worry about cleaning. How do you clean leather and wool combos?
Talk about a cool piece of clothing. Really, really interesting. Super cool project indeed !
Love it, looks super comfy and I bet it's cozy, too!
That leather is luscious! I like the combo of leather and jersey. ~ Peggy http://peggyscloset.blogspot.com/
So chic! So designer! So expensive looking! I love it!
Mirror shot or no, I like it. Love seeing the clothes on you!
That is a beautiful shirt. I love how it's quietly chic and subversive.
Classically stylish. The turquoise necklace is a perfect finishing touch.
Another winner. Love it! You're encouraging me. Lol
Love this top and hope to see more leather creations from you. It isn't the drama, sewing leather, that many people assume, but obtaining skins is a hassle.
Meanwhile, nice note about the daughter. My own left for freshman year in London on Monday. Feeling quite bereft but cheered to see you've survived, and so will I!
Loce this version as well. It looks classy and sophisticated. Beautiful!
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