Two more tops

I thought of making up this stretch velvet fabric years ago, but somehow just never got around to it.  Now it's wearable.  I had two "pieces" - one a remnant, the other was bits and pieces left over from my daughter's Christmas outfit from who knows how long ago.  Both are sort of coppery, though different shades.
Simplicity 3536 was also sitting around for a few years.  View A is the only that caught my eye at the time that I bought the pattern, though perhaps View C might happen at some point - or it might not.  Oh, right - I'm supposed to insert the picture at this point.  Ta-da!

Construction was simple.  I was rather surprised that I needed no alterations.  I did have a bit of a fight with the elastic that forms the ruching, though.  There are supposed to be two bits of elastic at the sleeve hems.   I used clear elastic at the centre of the sleeve - had a bit of a squabble with it - that was while the sleeve was still flat.  Once I had the sleeve seam put in I decided that I was not going to attempt the bit of elastic on that side of the sleeve.  So - my sleeve doesn't quite look like the pattern.  What else is new?  For the side seams I used a different elastic - still squabbled with it, but not as badly as with the clear elastic.  At some point I do intend on redoing the ruching some other way.  I'm just not happy with the elastic bits.  This is the top that was being hemmed at the last minute, well, actually half an hour before I was to get dressed to go to a party.  the usual excuse - oh, it will only take me a few minutes...  I do like this top.  It's like wearing a t-shirt.  (Well, it is one, duh!)  I'm not so sure that cowl neck tops are for me, though.  The cowl never stays quite right.  One probably needs something more than I have to hold the front of the bodice in place.  May-be I just need a different type of cowl.  I have the same problem with the infamous Donna Karan dress that everyone (including me) made up this summer.  Oh well, at some point I do have the intention of actually working through this "problem" and experimenting, because I do like cowl necks.

This is the one made from bits of Taya's outfit.  Perhaps I should not have used a raglan sleeve pattern, but ... I did.  It was Kwik Sew 3120.  The sleeves turned out 3/4 length.  Having stuck it all together, I just wanted to find a quick way of finishing things off, hopefully with a bit of flare.  Don't know that I'm ecstatic about the results, but with a few accessories - it works.  Had to sew the lace on by hand (just happened to have this little piece in the drawer!), because it slipped and slid and did all sorts of nasty things on the velvet.  OK - that wasn't so quick, but I really have no problem with hand sewing, so - not so bad.  Then I "happened upon" a piece of folded knit binding in another box.  Again, just long enough to finish off the neckline.  Even that wasn't all that quick - more slipping and sliding and requiring several rows of basting to keep it in place long enough to stitch down with twin needles.
Well, that's been it for additions to my closet.  Hope my friends don't mind, but these outfits, with some possible alterations, will be hitting the "party circuit" for the next few years to come.  (Hm - may-be I'll need to work on a new pair of black pants - these are getting rather overworked, don't you think?)
FYI - taking pictures has been a challenge.  We've hardly had any sun for eons.  The best I've been able to do is to switch on all the lights in the room and hope for the best.  Colours are coming out not right.  (Pants in the pictures should be jet black - so that just shows you how "off" the colour is.)  I know that my photography isn't the best to begin with, but I keep hoping for miracles.  I'll just keep trying!