Glass Onion Tops

I finally made a Glass Onion Top by Shwin & Shwin. I have so many girls’ patterns that sometimes I just don’t know where to start! Hoard much?!

Honestly, I didn’t like this pattern the first time I saw it. If I remember correctly, I think it was that the back just looked sloppy or something to me. I can’t really remember now because at some point I just started loving it!

Now that I’ve made a couple of them, I really love this pattern! It’s so quick and easy, I was able to make two of them in a couple of days.

The first one I made was the pleated version in a size 4 with the elbow length sleeves.

My daughter loved this fabric she found at the thrift shop, so we used it. It’s not soft at all, and feels very stiff and cheap, but she insisted. It has such a stiff drape too.

I added some polka dotted ribbon to spice it up a bit and add some contrast.

I also used bias tape to finish the hem since I have TONS of this stuff, and it made the rounded hem easy to finish. If there’s one thing I really dislike, it’s turning up a hem 1/4″ and turning it up again to stitch. It’s just one of those tedious things at the end of a project I just want over with. 🙂

This turned out super cute, but the moment she put it on, it just would not stay on. It was huge! I’ve read that the pleated version seems to fall off the shoulder, so I figured that would happen, but the entire top just wanted to slide down. She wears a size 4 in Shwin & Shwin’s other patterns, but I decided to sew up another Glass Onion in a size 3 with capped sleeves, this time without pleats to make sure it fit.

This top was a breeze to sew up. My only hitch was that I didn’t have enough bias tape to finish the neckline too, so I ended up using a facing evening though I had interlined the bodice. 😦

I used a swiss dot voile fabric I had in my stash. Since it’s somewhat sheer, I interlined the bodice (sewed the lining and main fabric as though it were a single fabric) with some white broadcloth. I left the rest of the top unlined since it’ll be great for those hot summer days.

I used a bright coral/red bias tape to finish the hem. I’m thinking I should’ve used it as a trim instead of turning it all the way under since it’s so visible from the outside. Oh well, it still looks cute and adds a pop of color.

This top in this size and version fits her perfectly. I’ve had several compliments on it too. The most common comment is that it’s like a butterfly top, which my daughter just loves because who doesn’t love butterflies!