Peplum Top Love

I love this little top. It is made of a woven cotton that my mom got me when she was visiting, thanks Mom! This is Simplicity 1666, a Lisette pattern. I really love the fit and construction of this pattern and will definitely use it again.

 

I cut a size 10 at the shoulders and graded out to a 12 at the hips. I didn't believe that an 18" zipper was necessary, so I went with a shorter one, which was a mistake. I can only barely get this thing on, but once it is on it fits great. There is a bit of extra fabric at the back waist, but I don't know if it bothers me enough to alter the pattern. The construction is very clever and I love the flat front and back with the little kick of a semi circle on the sides. I think this is a very flattering design.

I left off the neck facings in favor of bias tape, which I prefer.  I did mess up the placement of the zipper however, putting it a little too low.  I will remedy that next time.  I used my invisible zipper foot for the first time on this blouse and it worked like a charm.  I have struggled terribly with invisible zippers, but the foot made the job so easy. 

This was the first pattern that I made with my new to me serger (thank mom!).  It makes such a difference in the quality of a handmade garment.  I'm so happy to now have my very own serger.

I'm not getting very clear pictures with my camera.  I used it successfully to take pictures of my jewelry, but my modeled shots are coming out pixelated and a bit blurry even in natural sunlight.  Not sure what I'm doing wrong.  It could partly be from using the timer and moving around while the camera is taking pictures.  I think there is more to it though.  Perhaps I just need to upgrade my camera, it has been a few years.

The jeans I'm wearing here are from Target.  I have the worst luck with pants from there.  I love the look and color of them, but they have no stretch.  I really need stretch in skinny pants to hug my curves.  There is just no give and that makes them really uncomfortable.  Too bad, as I truly need non-denim pants.

*ETA: a photographer friend at work helped me trouble shoot my photo problem.  I think I had the iso set too high.  I was backwards in my thinking about it and he mentioned that higher iso created more digital noise.  Hoping that fixes my problem.