Marfy 2904

This is one of the free patterns from the latest Marfy catalogue and the style is somewhat of a departure for me with these huge sleeves and a frankly enormous collar.  The collar can indeed be worn up as a hood, and I was surprised to find that I didn't think the hood looked unattractive.  I was half expecting to look like ET in it.  However, it looked quite Grace Jones. 

The fabric was a gift from RuthieK and is a slinky knit. The print is much larger than I would normally wear but it really works with this top style and I feel fabulous in it.

As slinky doesn't ravel, I've been able to be lazy and just cut the hems straight across without finishing them.  Slinky is more than a little slithery and incredibly stretchy with a very heavy drape.  I suspect that this has meant the sleeves drape a little more heavily than intended.  In a viscose or cotton lycra jersey I think this pattern would work slightly better since the slinky easily distorts out of shape due to its incredibly stretchy nature.  I do like this top immensely and am already planning one in viscose jersey in an animal print then I think a spot of stash diving is called for in order to identify a suitable fabric for version three.  Yes, I like this top THAT much. 

The top takes quite a lot of fabric, just over two metres of 58" wide. I didn't match the print.  I wasn't even sure if matching it was possible.   However, I am very pleased with it and it was extremely quick to complete.  I started tracing the pattern at about 9.45am this morning.  Made the collar before lunch then constructed the top after lunch.  By 1.30pm I had a completed top.  I made only one alteration to the pattern, lengthening it two inches.  This version is three inches longer than designed because I didn't use the one inch hem allowance I had included. 

I really thought that the immense sleeves would make it impossible to wear anything over the top of this.  I was wrong.  I can get a fitted jacket over those sleeves because of the way they are cut.  The cuffs are not too large for my skinny wrists either.  This is often a problem for me.  The collar is so big that it can be arranged over or within various jacket necklines very easily and despite its immense size, it sits where it is put, without bunching up at the back of the neck.