I’m not sure what to title this post, but read on and you’ll see what I mean. Also, there’s a sewing tip at the end, should my basic sewing friends be interested.

In my childhood we played a word game where one kid said a random word and the next kid would say a word which began with the last letter of the first kid’s word and then the third kid would say a word which began with the ending letter of the second word —- and so on and so forth (not sure how the game ended).  Stay with me here.   My recent sewing activity reminded me of that game.

I’ve accidentally ended up with a mini “core wardrobe” although a couple of things are meant to be worn inside the house. Hey, I did wear the silk pajamas to pick up curbside groceries, and brazenly got out of the car to open the trunk. So the private/public line got blurred that day aided by earrings and lipstick.  By the way, the black/white polka dot rayon challis and the coral rayon print are both from Sew Much Fabric (both sold out, I think but go to the website to look at other fab fabric).

The pajamas, the robe, the tunic (out-of-print Simplicity 4528) and there are large enough pieces left for another wearable! So, how did it become an unintentional core wardrobe? I kept using leftovers from one project to the next because it worked with the new fabric. The graphic above should explain it all. The last scraps of the black/white polka dot and the coral rayon are just enough to combine and make a sleeveless summer top. Nothing but sleeveless is working for me this August, even in the air-conditioned indoors.

A lightbulb moment: it is perfectly acceptable to use a print as a basic, if it runs through the core capsule components; in my case, the black/white polka dot rayon challis. Do you think the print-as-basic would work with a large floral??

So there you have it.  Do my basic sewing friends want a tip? Here it is. See the contrasting outer facing at the neckline of the coral tunic? I finished the facing edge in the round to follow the neckline shape; however, there’s a trick to keeping the edges perfectly round.

Run a machine stitch inside the turn-under line. For example, my outside-facing (the black/white) was going to be turned under ½” to finish it off; before pressing it under I ran a stitch line 3/8” from the raw edge. See how it’s curling in? This made it easier to turn under and press the ½” in a smooth curve without interruptions of “pokey” edges.  This method is also useful in narrow hemming any curved edge — such as the slight curved areas of hems in men’s shirts.

Until next time, be healthy and safe. 

Samina