Shadow Embellished Silk Top – Back

Lilac sheer silk from The Fabric Stash.

A few beads.  A few pieces of lace.  A few fun hours spent sewing….

The Result: A Shadow Embellished Top.

The Shadow Embellishment is a short piece of lace sewn between the double layers of the back.

Embellishment on vertical lace piece – out of the “shadow.”

The lace was embellished by burning (with a candle flame) the edges of petals cut from scraps of dark violet fabric.  Beads and embroidery stitching were used to stitch the petals to the lace and highlight some of the lace pattern.

Embellished lace piece – in the shadow (under one layer of silk)

The burning seers the edges so no raveling will occur… yes, it is easy to burn too much! (But we try, try again!)

The desire was for the skirt of the top to have more ethereal embellishments than the yoke. By placing the embellished lace between the silk backs a silk “shadow” falls over it.  The shadow is sufficiently sheer that the lace remains visible, but it doesn’t overwhelm the top.

Right Yoke Detail

The yoke is heavily embellished with stitching and beading.  As the sheer silk has little or no structure, it was layered over linen.

Left Yoke Embellishment Detail

The natural colored linen is not visible as it is sandwiched between layers of the silk and the lining, but it provided the needed “stiffness” or structure for the embroidery and beading.

Shadow Embellished Top – Front

Although small portions of the yokes are visible, the front of the top was designed to highlight the flow of the fabric. An overlay, slightly shorter than the top was added to the pattern.  The silk almost flows when walking.

The pattern used was a heavily modified Simplicity 1694.  The modifications included those used for The Stash Couture Tunic. Then the front overlay was cut and the back doubled.

The curved hemline is 4″ longer in center back than the center front.  This hem variation also adds to the “float” of wearing the top.

Side seams were french seamed.  Hems and bias binding were handstitched.

Can’t wait for an occasion to wear it!

Back Yoke

Yoke with “Burned” Petal Flower

Beading and Stitching on Yoke

Additional photos of embellishment.