shirt. kcwc. spring top.

I am doing Meg’s Kids Clothes Week Challenge, and so far the most challenging part has been finding the right thing to make—the thing that would make both me and my girl happy. She came to me with a great idea—so much more interesting than the simple shorts I was thinking of—a charm quilt shirt. She wanted a shirt with lots of different novelty fabric from my stash. Cool! Fun! I can get behind that. I could use the Build by Wendy raglan sleeve top as a base and sew strips of squares and then foundation piece them on to the top, and that would be neat. But that wasn’t the image in Eva’s mind. She was thinking more like string quilting, and a strappy top with an elasticized back. And so, for an evening it was no fun for either of us. I think we have something else going now. We’ll see.

I did manage to finish a top for me. Thinking about the Build by Wendy top for Eva reminded me that I had one unfinished for myself, one that had been languishing for two years (!), because I was struggling with fit and had shoved it aside in a fit of annoyance. I have made this top before twice, but I stopped wearing them because they were tight across the shoulders. So I made this bigger one that was just all wrong. I messed with adjustments, but nothing seemed right. I can see now that it’s the sleeve cut. I need the space across the back but not in the armpit. No more sewn raglans for me. But I was able to save this one because I had cut it long, and it works OK as a longer top with a belt. Originally, I had the hem pinned about 3 inches higher, which would have left me way boxy. I finished the top in time for Made By Rae’s Spring Top A-Long. So glad she includes stuff you started in the past, because it was a great boost to just getting this top done and wearable.