I finally got to do some sewing for myself. I used some of the delicious Liberty Lawn that I purchased on my trip to London last year and created a simple, yet beautiful top.

Materials

• Liberty of London Claire-Aude A Tana Lawn
• Interfacing
• Thread
• Invisible zipper

I love the Liberty Lawn. The fabric feels so great and it was so easy to sew with.


Pattern

Sewaholic Alma 1204

This pattern is perfectly suited for the Liberty print. The print is so busy and colourful, it needs a simple top pattern. The Alma creates a great silhouette that lets the fabric speak. A complex top pattern would just be too loud and take away from the Liberty print.


Alterations

I only made a couple of alterations. I measured the sleeve pattern pieces and realized that they were close to my arm measurements, which means almost no ease. After measuring a couple of other shirts I owned, I decided to increase the sleeve width by 1/2".

I sewed 1/2" seams on the sides (instead of 5/8"), since I found my first Alma a little tight (it fits, but I wanted a little more ease). This little change made the shirt fit almost perfectly.

I have a small amount of fabric pooling at my lower back. This means I probably could have done a swayback adjustment. However, I don't think this is noticeable to most people in this busy fabric.


Update: I forgot to mention that I went with reverse felled seams for most of the shirt. For the armhole seams, I used a zig-zag stitch and trimmed the seam allowances.


I love my new shirt and will probably wear it at least once a week for as long as it lasts.


This top is also my project for the Simple Top Challenge for the group Stitch Once Rip Twice.