I’ve never made the same pattern in rapid succession before, but in the last month, I’ve made 3 versions of the Ogden Cami by True Bias.

The Ogden Cami is a swingy cami with spaghetti straps and a clean finish thanks to a unique half-lining. I’ve never used a half lining before. It’s kind of a hybrid between a traditional lining and a facing…a bit of a strange concept IMO, but it totally works.

My first Ogden is made from a polyester floral print leftover from my Sewaholic Yaletown dress. I made a straight size 2 without any alterations. It came together easily, and I used my serger to finish the side seams. I’ve worn it at least once a week since it was completed.

My second version was far less successful. It is made from a mysterious fabric from my stash with little drape. It is full of static and feels like a lining fabric. In retrospect it was a terrible choice for this project. I was drawn to the tiny red pattern on the fabric. What I didn’t realize was that this fabric looks exactly like my skin tone from far away. The combination of the skin-colored fabric and tent-like drape is not a good look. This version is going to be given away.

My third Ogden is my favorite. I picked out this blue and off-white fabric from Chicago Fabric, Yarn, and Button Sales while I was in Chicago for a conference. It was sold to me as a hand-printed African cotton for just $7 a yard. The tone of the off-white background is a little yellowy, which isn’t the best for my skin tone, but it feels very luxurious.

It is definitely sheer, so I used a full lining instead of the half lining on this version (thanks for the suggestion, Allie!). It was amazing how difficult it was to find an appropriate fabric to use as the lining. Because of the yellow tint, no off-white or white fabrics at Joann’s looked quite right. In the end I settled on a navy polyester crepe de chine. I cut two front pieces and two back pieces, and then assembled the pattern as instructed, but with French seams this time.

I did make a few fitting tweaks to this version, including widening the front at the side seams (from the bust to the armpit) by about 1/4″ on each side, lengthening the straps by 1″, and shortening the lining by 1/2″ before hemming. I am very happy with how this turned out. It feels very luxurious with the silky soft outer fabric and full lining.

All in all, this pattern is a keeper. It is easy to wear, and can be dressed up or down. I really like the way the pattern has you attach the spaghetti straps between the lining and the outer fabric. It results in a much cleaner finish than any other way I have used in the past. My main takeaway from this sewing adventure, though, is that fabric matters.

Abstract
Pattern: Ogden Cami by True Bias, size 2
Fabric: Floral polyester leftover from my Sewaholic Yaletown dress, mysterious tan and red printed lining-esque fabric, hand-printed African cotton from Chicago Fabric, Yarn, and Button Sales, and navy polyester crepe de chine from Joann’s
Notions: n/a
Cost: $13.98 fabric (for version 3 only), other fabrics and thread from stash  = $13.09 ($23.98  if you count the cost of the pattern)
Time: ~4 hours each