Greta + Nikko = A Happy Couple!

I recently made a couple of garments that I've discovered look pretty good together! I had plans to make the top for months, but the dungarees came about more spontaneously. 

Top:

I've had the Nikko top pattern by True Bias for over a year, waiting for the right fabric to appear. I bought it in the the hope that it'll make useful layering garments to help extend the use of my warmer-weather clothes into the autumn and the spring. To be honest, I already have the Freya pattern by Tilly and the Buttons from her Stretch book, which is similar. But whilst I really like the Freya, the Nikko caught my eye because it looks like the sleeve and armhole are drafted to have a closer fit which I thought might make the garment better suited to layering under things.

I made my usual adjustments to the pattern: grading to a larger size for the waist and hips and folding out 2cm of length from the body. Plus I graded to a larger size in the bicep, but I think I could do with even more width in the arms for next time. 

Eventually I found the right fabric, which had, of course, been under my nose (i.e. on the shelf at work) all the time. I bought the rust and white striped cotton/Lycra jersey from Fabric Godmother, and it has the perfect weight, stretch and recovery for this garment. The leftovers became this vest and undies set. 

The construction was very quick and enjoyable, I can definitely see myself making more of these tops in the future. 

Dungarees:

I can't remember if I got hold of the fabric or the pattern first, but the combination has worked out really well. The fabric is/was, in fact, a pair of 100% cotton curtains bought from a charity shop. They have a ribbed texture which gives them the appearance of corduroy, but without the plush pile. 

The pattern I used is the Greta dungarees by Made My Wardrobe. I'm a big fan of their whole aesthetic and I love how this pattern has zero fastenings. It can be worn tied at the front or the back. I obviously chose to make them so they tie at the front, however, I may go back at some point and shorten the straps so they tie at the back instead. 

Despite there being no fastenings, it wasn't a particularly speedy pattern to make, if that is something that you look for in a sewing project! I made things a touch more complicated by adding a patch pocket to the front. Not only do I like that utility look, but I find it useful to pop my phone in when I'm wandering around the house. I applied a Kylie and the Machine label for extra cuteness (see above). 

I'm not entirely sold on the pale cream colour yet. It's rarely I colour I wear, particularly on my lower half. On their very first outing I spilt my coffee right down the front (which was captured on audio, as you can hear in this episode of my podcast!). I think the colour gives them a definite spring/summer feel, plus also painter/decorator vibes! I need to wear them some more to see if I can get used to both those aspects.