Colette Moneta Peplum Top

I promise that soon I will find something else to make besides Monetas, but I'm on a roll and there ain't no stopping it, so I hope you won't be too bored by a few more posts.

Yesterday I was seized by the desire to make a peplum top. I have never worn a peplum before, I've never even tried one on in a store. No peplum has ever graced this bod. But I had this gingham print knit just lying there and I suddenly just couldn't imagine it as anything else.

I used the Moneta bodice but added 1.5" to the length. You could really use any knit bodice, whatever's your fave at the moment. And while any dress pattern can become peplum [just make the skirt super duper short], I didn't want to use the Moneta skirt since it was gathered. Being a peplum newbie that seemed like it would be too voluminous. So I drafted a hi-lo circle peplum. I'll be posting a tutorial on Monday for how to do that, so stay tuned!

UPDATE: Here's the promised tutorial.

I think that I like the peplum when I look at pictures, but maybe next time I'll do a higher hi or a lower lo? or both? Just to make it look more intentional.

Also I really felt like I was wearing an ice skating dress. Or I looked like a ballerina.

Clearly this was only in my imagination.

I lined the bodice but decided to forgo the collar, so I attached the lining to the neckline as well. I'll also be posting a tutorial for that sometime next week. Tuts galore!

UPDATE: Here's THAT promised tutorial.

The fabric I used is this one from Girl Charlee, and it's one of the fabrics that they print themselves in LA. I've gotten plenty of fabric from them that I've really enjoyed - another Moneta, a Plantain dress, and my Anima Pants are all Girl Charlee fabrics - but, while quite adorable, this one was kinda disappointing. It's a jersey but it has almost no stretch. Like none. It's really stiff and thin and is knit very off grain.

I actually did a Terrible Naughty Thing and folded based on the plaid print instead of the grain line, because if I'd folded on grain the plaid would have looked ridiculous. It actually worked out ok, maybe because it's stiff.

Like I said I've bought other things there that I love, and I window shop there obsessively and have to resist handing over all my money for stacks and stacks of beautiful fabric. I'm just trying to keep it real for the folks at home about this one. Maybe I just got a dud?

I kept feeling a strong urge to curtsy while wearing this.

Is it time to bring the curtsy back??