This is a story of my Grainline Felix dress (turned into a top) but also so much more. In the 7 (S.E.V.E.N.!!!) years since I last posted here, I: started and lost interest in another blog, had a human baby, lost my sweetest fur baby, moved to another continent, and had a gazillion other ups and downs. Oh yeah, and we all lived through a pandemic. Some day, perhaps, I’ll tease it all out of my head where everything is a jumbled mess. Not today!

I made a Felix Dress in 2021 couldn’t stop at just one, I had to convert it to a top. It’s a fairly simple mod — flatten out the curved front waist seam to make it more horizontal, and extend the right neckband all the way to the bottom. I also made flared sleeves by cutting the sleeve above the elbow, increasing  the length to the wrist, then slashing and fanning out the cuff. And yes, this time, I inserted a piping to show off the neckband design. I had a long strip of fabric left over, so decided to gather it to make a peplum. 

TBH, it’s been difficult for me to post this, and not just because of the seven year gap. I had almost finished this top when I took a break to feed and walk my dog, but he suddenly laid down and shivered. And though I rushed him to the vet, it was the beginning of the end and he died 3 days later. I couldn’t bear to sew for several weeks — especially this project — but then, three months later, it was suddenly all right for me to sew again and I completed it. I miss having him with me while I sewed, his soft snuffling grunts and snores. 

The fabric is a chiffon from the depths of the stash. Strangely, I have no record of buying it, so I suppose it is from the dark ages before I became meticulous about tracking the stash! The body pieces are underlined with a navy linen — I just hand basted the edges together and treated them as a single layer. Since there is no lining (which serves to cover the raw edges of the neckband) I finished the edges of the lower neckband with bias tape, and used that to cover the seam allowances of the upper neckband and body. 

I really like this top, despite the bittersweet associations. And I’m still trying to negotiate with social media, and what level of engagement works for me. I miss reading and writing longform blog posts, and the IG algorithm logic is so opaque, everyone just seems to be trying to throw solutions to see what sticks. And while we could all be cool and pretend we’re posting because we have a burning need for a creative outlet, let’s be honest, the social component of social media is important — it feels a little empty not to get the dopamine hit of likes. All this to say… I don’t know at what level I’ll be blogging and IG-ing again. Let’s take it one step at a time? And thank you for reading!