Simplicity 2568

At the end of last winter I picked up a couple of pair of really great leggings - very heavy, good quality knit, and super comfortable to wear, I thought around the house, or for shopping, dog-walking - things like that.


What I soon discovered was that I had few tops that really worked with these leggings. Few that looked simple and comfortable without looking messy and too Big Shirtish, and weren't too short for my seasoned figure. I also wanted to save my serious sewing time for dresses so have been on the look-out for easy-to-sew comfortable top patterns that would work with my leggings.


Simplicity 2568 was one I tried.

Now this is a woven pattern but it had sort of an interesting very retro shape ( I think I wore exactly this top, as a dress, in high school). I decided to try it in some rayon/anonymous double knit I had at the bottom of the old Rubbermaid boxes (there must be a lot of fabric in those containers all over this continent).


I cut my usual size, but went down to a 12 at the neckline as an experiment and added 13" to the length. Of course as this was a knit I disregarded the zipper and made this just a pull-on number. I realized that there was not a lot to this pattern, just a front and a back really, as the sleeves are cut-on dolmans - so I added the little tab buckle things that was in the view for the short top for some interest.  I miscalculated when I placed these tabs though, and they ended up at belly level, breaking my rule to make sure absolutely everything I sew a detraction from my Worst Feature. I most definitely wish these buckles were about waist height.


That said I really like this top. I wanted something to go over leggings that didn't look too much like a gathered maternity top, and something I could wear my wide assortment of short fitted knit tops and T shirts under in colder weather.


This is a pretty loose but I like it, feels so comfortable without being sloppy. I already have another one cut out.


These tops, with leggings would be great to wear for my precious staying at home and sewing days, and that is probably where I will wear them.


One more detail that I want to mention. Despite the simplicity of this pattern the facings were really nice. The front facing has a deep curve in it at centre front so the neck, which will gap a bit, never shows anything but a nice smooth finished face - so much better than similar necklines I have seen that just have turned and topstitched necklines.


My version of lounge wear.