Note: I didn’t make the skirt!
Vogue 9204 – the shirt… the skirt was a fortune ‘find’ and shows more of my legs then usual!
I did however make the blouse to pair with the skirt.
This pattern is a bit of an ugly duckling – or perhaps more kindly, a hidden gem. Vogue 9204 is a Very Easy Vogue pattern with somewhat uninspiring envelope art and a sample garment in a busy print that disguises the garment’s design lines.
Vogue 9204 – image from Vogue Patterns, McCalls
It’s a simple pullover top with a collar that extends into ties, lined yoke with back pleats and a shirt tail hemline.
excuse the creases – car travel to somewhere without a strong onshore wind required! Bad hair day to top it off… all the running means I pay less attention to my hair lol… true story…
There are no darts and the front v-neck is finished with a simple facing.
The fabric…
I’ve made this in a woven tencel chambray which I purchased on holiday from Ruche Fabrics in Launceston, Tasmania. If you happen to be in Launceston you should pop into Ruche. It’s the Tessuti Fabrics of Tasmania in terms of fabric quality & style.
While I love this fabric, it does show every crease and seems to amplify the shadows/ripples as it falls over your body or with movement. I don’t notice this when I’m wearing it but it’s obvious in photography.
Regardless of these gripes, the fabric is divine and very fluid.
Vogue 9204 – side view
The skirt… not made-by-me
The skirt… it’s hard not to notice isn’t it?! It was called the ‘fire & ice skirt’ by Bec & Bridge. It is fully lined and has a very deep back hem facing so the front cut away doesn’t show the reverse of the fabric at the back of the skirt. It’s some type of scuba-like fabric. I paid next-to-nothing for it, one of my unexpected finds, the fabric print drew my eye on the rack and cost me less than a coffee (yes really). It’s shorter than I usually wear but maybe it will be ok for a ‘night out’ or drinks with friends, we will see. I’m sure it will be readily adopted by my teenage daughters in due time.
Thoughts…
I deliberately chose this shirt design for its austere simplicity combined with a slightly sassy neck tie. I wanted something to quietly complement the skirt rather than compete with it.
I haven’t quite decided how I prefer to tie this… and I haven’t tried a low loose bow. The ties seem longer than the pattern illustration and I’m toying with the idea of unpicking the hand stitching on the inside back neckline and shortening them slightly… but maybe not.
I really like this simple pattern. I think I may make another in silk and/or rayon to wear as casual tops with jeans. It would also pair beautifully with a pencil skirt for work. It’s a nice change from a collared shirt yet not totally lacking in interest.
It’s a very fast make and if you can ‘burrito’ your shirt yokes, even faster. There is a small amount of hand stitching around the back neck to finish the tie neck.
Pattern: Vogue 9204
Fabric: Tencel chambray, Ruche Fabrics Launceston. Purchased in January while on holidays.
Skirt: RTW, Bec & Bridge, not current range
Thanks to my friend Susan of Measure Twice, Cut Once who lightened up my photos for me to actually show the top & skirt in their true colours (I’m not technical in this regard) and saved me taking more (clouds descended and the weather turned nasty/cold as these were taken making the colours very murky).
RUNNING
Still running! Park Run official time down to 26.02 minutes and I recently finished 10kms in 55.03 minutes. It’s four months since I attempted to run/walk my first Park Run. It’s been a lesson in persistence and perhaps sheer bloody mindedness 
I’m trying to fit 20+ kms into my week. Yesterday I did Park Run (5kms) and then a steady 11.5kms with friends in the late afternoon as I had a hockey game at night. We trotted out for another 5kms as the sunset this evening so I could tick off 21.5km this weekend and a total of 29.5kms over the week.
I’m slowly learning to approach different runs differently. Some are more about pace, others about distance and others about time on my feet. Sometimes I run and chat with friends. It’s been a really interesting process. I’m not terribly scientific about it, I simply do what works for me and feels right/sensible.
I had a complete brain fart & upgraded my July 10km event to a half marathon… I decided I just need to finish my ‘first one’ and then I can work on my time over this new-to-me distance… can’t be that hard… can it???
