The Tilly and the Buttons Freya top from Stretch! was a pattern that I knew I'd be making a lot of as soon as I saw it. It's a style that I really like, especially the mock neck. I find that high neck tops are perfect for the winter and it's nice to have a pattern that I can go back to time and again. This was a top that I didn't necessarily need in my wardrobe, but when I saw the fabric I thought it would make a perfect Freya, and as I couldn't get that idea out of my head I decided to make the idea a reality! I found the fabric in a really small shop with fabric stacked from floor to ceiling (the kind of shop that you have to search through a lot of stuff before finding what you want!). The fabric is really a very lightweight jersey but the stretch is what makes it so perfect for this pattern - I think it might be one of the stretchiest fabrics I've ever sewn with.
I love stripy tops and it's always nice to find a slight variation on a classic stripe. The variation is one of the reasons I like this fabric so much. I sewed this top entirely on my overlocker and as you can imagine it was finished in no time! I was slightly worried about how difficult the stripes would be to match, but in the end I think the stripe matching came out quite well. The fabric did move a lot while sewing it though so I would recommend sewing the side seam with a long machine stitch first and then overlocking once you've checked that the stripes are matching nicely. Other than that there really were no difficulties with sewing this top. The stretchiness of the fabric is probably the main reason that the neckband went in so smoothly and sits so nicely. In my first Freya top the fabric is thicker and much less stretchy meaning that the neckband was both harder to install and doesn't sit quite as nicely.
Overall I'm really pleased to be able to add another simple but useful top to my winter wardrobe. I think that the Freya top is a really great pattern, and I expect I will be sewing even more in the future! For both this version and my first one I left the top quite long to be able to tuck it in and kept the sleeves long too, whereas with my mustard Freya the bodice and sleeves are both shorter. The versatility is one of the things I really like about this pattern, not to mention how easy it is to hack it into a different garment altogether.
The Freya continues to look good on you! I like this striped version, and think the added length is perfect.
ReplyDeleteAnother great pattern and look for you! I use to live in tops like this when I was younger. I too use a long basting stitch for stripe matching, pinning where the stripes intersect. It takes a little more time but well worth it in the end. The fabric store where you found it sounds like a great way to spend the day! There is nothing like that around me.
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