Issue 28 of the Fibremood magazine is once again full of lovely garments and I did have trouble choosing one. Sleeves seem to be having a big moment and as I love my Fibremood Odyna with the big sleeves, I decided to choose the Malia, which has similar but different sleeves.
As autumn is rumoured to be here (it is just a rumour, it hasn’t rained in months), I thought I’d make one which would transition me through the season into winter. I chose a sturdy vintage cotton which had been in my mother’s stash, and of which I had plenty; this pattern uses quite a lot of fabric.
This floral coordinates with a surprising number of things in my wardrobe, starting with my orange denim Stokx Square Pants, although I’m not sure there’s any orange in the fabric!
Fibremood suggest using a woven fabric such as poplin or textured cotton to enhance the sleeves. However, a fabric with more drape would give a floaty top and may make one in some double gauze.
As you can see, the sleeves are rather marvellous. The darted cuffs have facings to help them hold their shape. I love it teamed with my linen Pattern Union Bib and Tucker overalls.
The top sits so nicely and is the perfect length. The back has a short slit at the neck and it’s fixed with a button on the inside.
You can see in the photo above that I have made the neck edges meet at the top by placing the button quite a long way in and had to sew in a press stud to make the neck sit flat. I thought I must have made a mistake with sewing the tab, but then saw photos as they started to appear on instagram and realised that the neck edges shouldn’t meet, creating a sort of keyhole effect with the tab holding the edges together. This was a quick fix.
It had the effect of dropping the neckline slightly, which is no bad thing, but also caused the shoulders to be a bit wider, so I might size down for my next version as it is quite loose.
I also love it with my blue denim square pants.
I did some twirling in my floor length Stokx Flirt skirt too, I was moving quickly which is why the photo is a blur.
And I tried it with my very elderly leather skirt.
When I read through what was needed for the blouse, I saw that it required a small button. I had a fossick in my button stash and just couldn’t find anything that blew my skirt up (if you know what I mean!) so I covered one only to discover that the button is hidden inside the blouse and therefore should be flat. I couldn’t waste that button so I sewed it to the bottom with a hand made label tucked under it. It’s like a little secret feature!
I’ve worn this top a few times already; it really is the perfect trans-season top, it’s a great weight and I love the fabric. Expect to see a lot of it!
