Indie Bundling and Fox Tops

I play my fair share of video games, and one of my favorite ways to get great indie games is the Humble Indie Bundle, as it gets me games at a good price while also helping really worthwhile charities. It sometimes means I end up having a huge roster of games I will never play (I am not masochistic enough for Super Meat Boy), but it's also enabled me to get beautiful games like Bastion and Braid, and it's let me stumble on games I might not have otherwise sought out for myself simply because they were included in the deal.

Many of you can probably guess where this is going: how goddamn ecstatic I am that this sort of thing has spread to the sewing world. When Dixie blogged about the Perfect Pattern Parcels I let out a shrill little squeal of glee (I think I was on the train at the time so that was kind of embarrassing but worth it) and, well, instantaneously bought it. Just like with the indie game bundles I didn't really want everything in the bundle- I mainly wanted the Summer Concert Tee and the Ava Dress (which I have been LUSTING after for a good long while), had a glancing interest in the Lady Skater as a good simple staple dress, knew my sister'd like the Accordion Bag and honestly had no desire at all for the Dandelion (although it is beginning to grow on me, don't fret- it's just not something I'd have bought on its own!).  But. I am 100% here for supporting indie designers whenever I can, and I am 200% here for childhood education. It was a no brainer; I had to be part of this. And hey, now I have five new patterns to play with, although I think I'll gift the bag pattern to my sister as she'll get more use out of it (she's a quilter, she has a lot more fabric scraps laying about).

Anywho, sewing! I made probably the "trendiest" thing I ever will today: a fox-print peplum tank top.

No one here is a good photographer and there is no good lighting. I'm sorry. We tried.

I'm not 100% satisfied with this just yet, as the fit isn't at all right. This was that McCall's pattern I posted about, and it's honestly okay, it just needs tweaking. For one, I had to cut two inches off the shoulder straps- they were WAY too long, Secondly, it fits a bit large all over- maybe I should've cut a small instead of a medium? I'm going to wash it and dry it to see if that bit of shrinkage'll fix it up, but if it doesn't I'll have to get creative. Don't get me wrong, it's entirely wearable as-is, but I would like it to be properly fitted, not kind of... baggy. You'll notice I threw a cardigan on over it, and that's because it pooches out at the bust. Maybe it should've had bust darts as well as the... front... middle... darts... I need to brush up on my terminology.

Girl Charlee fabric haul!

The fabric itself is a really stable knit (like it feels more like cotton) from Girl Charlee. It's not very soft nor is it very stretchy, but goddamn, I can't say no to the foxes and the cheerful bright blue. Again, hopefully washing'll fix some of these issues. I was hella impatient and didn't prewash (I know, I know, bad me!), so there's hope yet! I'll be prewashing the peacock blue and owl print knits in when I do this load of laundry so I don't repeat my mistakes (I prewashed the knits for both my completed Plantains, rest assured).

... and yes, I'm making another Plantain with the peacock jersey. The owl print jersey there'll be my elbow patches and a patch pocket. Don't judge me. It's become a tried-and-true already and I am totally okay with that.