Finally an opportunity to wear this little set, which has been complete for a few weeks now. Unprecedented: sewing in advance of the upcoming season!
Although I think it feels heavenly to wear, I've tended to avoid cotton interlock for clothing because it has essentially no recovery. Close-fitting garments made of all-cotton knits in general seem to get stretched out in a matter of minutes when they are worn (very high quality cotton knit is a different matter, but it is so difficult to find, especially in grown-up colors).
This length of teal interlock cost $2 at a yard sale, so I figured I had little to lose except my time. To minimize the sagging problem, I looked for looser fitting pieces that could benefit from a fabric with some heft. The initial idea was to make a top. Once the top was all done, quite a bit of fabric remained, so the skirt emerged from the leftovers.
Vogue 8699 is a firm favorite knit tunic of mine. This time I added two hip-level pockets, which worked out well, and I tried to add a sixties-style standup collar (like the collared version of the Tilly Coco top), which didn't.
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| Coco Top from Tilly and the Buttons |
Maybe if I'd actually looked at the picture of the Coco top before cutting and applying the collar, I would have had a clearer notion of how to do it...
Anyway, my collar didn't stand up well, so I turned it to the inside and stitched it down. It looks kind of like a lumpy binding. Oh well. I'm fine with it. Next time I'll be a little more deliberate in my drafting.
The skirt is New Look 6856, an out of print pattern that I've had hanging around for a few years. Of course it's as simple as can be, but I do like the little skirt and I can see this being a useful shape for future makes.
I hardly need to say that this outfit is as comfortable as they come. I'm off to substitute at a neighborhood elementary school, and I am happy to be wearing my new teacher outfit, which I think might get a lot of use this fall as both separates and together.
Have you made garments--successful or unsuccessful--from cotton interlock? How did they wear over time? I would love to know.