Style Arc Susan with Amy Cowl

With DD#1 married and moved, I've realized I don't need as much space and I'm not really interested in the upkeep of a house. So, I moved. I am now living in a 900+ square foot apartment. That means no grass to water and mow but also no yard. The little dog loves the balcony and is adjusting. For me, the biggest change is my daily commute. It is so much easier now and once I get the sewing space settled (below), I think this is going to work just fine!

Naturally, I’ve spent the last few weeks getting organized. Still much to do, but I’m tired of the whole process and needed a break. I pulled out the Style Arc Susan and Amy top patterns and decided to merge them. For my experiment, I used the leftovers from a dress I had sewn in the summer, a FabricMart.com ITY. There was just enough to cut ¾ length sleeves. Usually, it takes about an hour and a half for me to complete a t-shirt. This one took at least two hours.

My goal was for a slightly different neck finish than the original Amy cowl. To get there, I removed five inches from the cowl to make it fit into my tweaked neckline. I folded the traced cowl pattern piece at center front and sewed a 1/2" seam, taking up one inch. Another inch was taken from each of the remaining notches. I could have taken the scissors to it and found some tape, but this was easy. What can I say?

The collar ended up about two inches less than the neck opening and just about perfect. Oh, I also raised the neckline on the back a bit to encourage the collar to stand up. I guessed as to the amount. Mostly on the sides and a small amount (maybe a 1/4"?) at the center back. It worked...

While I was at it, I went ahead and cut out two pairs of pants and a few tops. Hope to show them soon!