Spring top: in Lauren Child for Liberty fabric

Hurrah! I've finally got my dressmaking mojo back and made something that I actually want to wear. Admittedly I may have to wait a month or two before it is warm enough, but there's something good about having anticipation hanging in amongst the garments in my wardrobe.

Gently puffed sleeves

The fabric is by Lauren Child for Liberty (you might remember when my husband surprised me with it in January), and what I adore about this fabric is that I think it possesses magical transformative properties. When you see it in close proximity the colours are so incredibly bold and vibrant and remind me of something that I might have worn as a child, but the moment you move a little further away from it, it blends into something more subtle; the colours become less intense and the whole feel of the fabric is very much more grown-up. It's something that didn't reveal itself to me until I'd actually sewn it up into a garment though.

I used my own pattern that I drafted last summer - you can see the original top here - but made a few tweaks to it. I loved the original smocked sleeves, but they did look a little bumpy beneath a cardigan and I like to keep my options open for wearing inclement weather layers. So first I lengthened the sleeves and then to retain some shape I created a small pleat that is caught in the binding of the arm cuff.

Sleeve pleat caught in binding

I have kept the neck opening the same, but lowered the round neckline a little.

And there is still a small pleat at the front, which takes the place of darts by giving a little extra room across the bust.

I'm really pleased with how this top fits as smock tops have a habit of leaving me looking as though I may be expecting babies. Despite the loose fit, I've used the fabric sparingly to avoid it being voluminous: which means that I will probably be safe from anyone offering up their seat on the tube for me if I wear this out. 

Do you see the magical way that the colour becomes so much less intense at a distance? I enjoyed making this top so much that I may make a few up and put them on Etsy at some point to see whether they might sell, perhaps using some other Liberty prints or maybe some of Anna Maria Horner's voiles. (You might also remember that I'd thought about possibly drafting a pattern to sell for this top...that's still a work in progress and more of a long term plan - garment patterns are a whole different thing to producing regular sewing patterns).

Two things of interest while we're on the subject of dressmaking - firstly, have you spotted the prints from the Valori Wells Jenaveve linen collection - they are delectable: so grown-up and yet I also find myself oddly drawn toward the more childish print with the bird on. I have, however, emailed my mother about the white linen with green leaf print, as I'm wondering whether this might be nice for her to wear in the summer. You can see them all on Kate's blog. These linens makes me want to start saying things like how much I love that designers are printing onto so many different substrates now...but I won't, because my husband tells me that I mustn't use words like 'substrates' because he believes it to be a deliberate attempt to bamboozle him with 'fabric-speak' and advises that I must keep my inner geek more properly hidden. So I shall just go and whisper it in a corner. Yippee!

Secondly, Figgy's have announced that they have written a book specifically about making clothes for boys! What a completely wonderful idea - I'm so delighted by this as I can't think of a single book that I've spied that focuses on this: it is a vast arid desert of an area on Amazon and the moment it is released in England I shall be snaffling a copy up. I so hope that it is full of things that my own little boy will like to wear.

Wishing you a deliciously happy Friday,
Florence x