I wanted to make one more Strata top in cotton, and my girls were asking when I was going to make them something.

For years, I sewed exclusively for the kids, or else for our house (quilts, pillow shams, curtains, etc.) so it’s no wonder they were confused when I spent an entire month and a half sewing for myself.

After weeks of making clothes for myself, truthfully, I was starting to feel a little guilty that I hadn’t made anything for anyone else. Especially because Three kept asking me when I was going to make her something.

I was a little afraid if I stopped steaming ahead with my own makes and changed pace with something for them, that I would lose my sewing mojo before I could get back to my own projects again. I had, and still have, a sizable list of projects I want to try, including things for them.

I decided the Strata top would be an easy project to make for my big girls. I could quickly get several done in a short time and hopefully keep up the momentum. My oldest daughter and I have the same measurements now, with the exception of height, so whatever pattern I’m sewing, it’s easy to make her something in the same size. I had both of the girls try on one of the Stratas I’d already made before I got started. My younger daughter, at 10, is still a kid, and my size is too big. But Three liked the loose fit of the shirt, and it appealed to her that she’d potentially be able to wear it for years if I made her shirt in my size.

I was already interested in making one with less ease for myself, and I definitely wanted to take out some of the extra fabric when I made the girls’ shirts. Even though Three liked it just the way it was, I didn’t want it to be too baggy or else she wouldn’t be able to play freely without it billowing up or sliding down.I ended up swinging the bottom of the back pattern piece out from the fold an inch and a half or so when I was tracing the pattern onto the fabric. I kept the top of the back right on the fold so the neckline would stay the same. This removed about three inches of ease from the back of the shirt. I made all three shirts with this modification, one for me, and one for each of the big girls.

For the girls, I left the hem where it’s supposed to be, and for mine I added a little length. I think I decided an inch of additional length was my sweet spot for this pattern.  I finished all three shirts with French seams and bias neck binding. Two’s Strata is a batik rayon I got here. I wasn’t impressed by the quality, but the colors are beautiful, and Two has a way of destroying clothes. At $6 a yard, this fabric didn’t cost much and it won’t be a huge loss if and when she shreds it.

My Strata and Three’s are made with two different colors of khadi cotton. Do a search for it on Etsy and see if you don’t get sucked in. Like shot cotton, it’s made with two different colors for the warp and the weft. It has better drape than shot cotton, though, and it’s super soft once it’s been washed. It has a look of being matte, but also iridescent.

Lately, I’ve been watching Jamestown Season Two on PBS and am inspired by the women’s costumes, especially Verity Rutter’s wardrobe. She’s the redhead in the pics below. I love the colors and textures, and I’m kind of a sucker for period clothing. I think the show inspired some of my most recent projects, including my Strata top.

I don’t know what any of these period clothes are called, but there are definitely color and style ideas to be had here. I’m thinking khadi cotton with shibori stitching, maybe a ruched jacket or vest, would be another fun inspiration project.

All three of us wear our new Stratas all the time. The girls are happy that I made them something, and fortunately, Five, the youngest girl pictured above, has been happy to wear the hand-me-downs I made for her big sisters when they were younger, like the batik cotton peasant top and poppy skirt she’s wearing in these pics.Four, the lone boy in the photos, does his own styling and looks fantastic.

When I was working on this post, I clicked through to an article about the show, Jamestown, complaining that history was airbrushed and that the women on the show are way more liberal than they would have been in real life.And they totally are. But many things that occurred during the time period depicted by today’s standards are totally despicable, including slavery, the way Native peoples were treated, the way justice was meted out, and the way women were treated.

I would much rather watch a show where even within those limitations, the ladies treat slaves like the human beings they were, stand up for themselves and others, and find ways to change their situations for the better using their own wit and talents. At least if they’re on the wrong side of history, we can do a bit of a re-imagining of what life might have been like if some of the people living back then had some of the understanding we credit our modern selves with.

Sewing and historical drama. Not sure how to make a tidy conclusion with that unruly duo.