It’s Making Zen online retreat time again, and, with a VIP pass I have early access, which, along with lifetime access, means I can start and stop when I like.

I was so excited when I saw the lineup – Liz Haywood, one of my favourite designers, was offering a zero waste pattern and tutorial and I was so up for it.

I impatiently waited and the minute the VIP access opened I downloaded the pattern and watched the video. I adore Liz’s videos, she’s painstaking and so, so, calm. I learned a few techniques too, which is always a bonus.

This is Liz’s description:

Sew a jersey knit top with me, and along the way I’ll show you how to get the most out of your fabric, and some techniques I use for zero waste patterns. Suitable for intermediate sewers, this top is sewn entirely on a regular machine. It’s also possible to sew it by hand. The pattern fits bust measurements 34″/86.5cm – 70″/178cm. Fabric. This pattern is designed for high stretch, drapey knits such as viscose, bamboo or silk knits.

I chose a stretch silk fabric which I bought in Hong Kong when I was there on a work trip (so a long time ago). The shop was one of those multi-storey malls and I made the mistake of fingering it, and the next thing I knew, a length had been cut and I was presented with the bill!

It’s sat for a long time as I wasn’t sure this fabric was for me. It’s a dark green background, but somehow seemed dull.

I had lots of cotton knits out to play with, but my eyes kept drifting back to this silk and I decided to risk making a top I didn’t enjoy. Do I enjoy it? You be the judge!

I initially teamed it with black trousers and felt that it was a nice look – it was raining so I had to take these photos indoors.

Then it stopped raining and the sun came out so I ducked into the garden. Not a cloud in the sky!

I made a size 38 as my bust measurement is 37 and this fabric isn’t super stretchy.

In the video Liz talks about fit and sleeve length. I took 2cms off the sleeve length and brought the hips in by 1cm each side. I really could do with bringing the bottom in another 3cm a side, as the top is supposed to be fitted over the hips. Liz gives excellent instructions for all this, Although I do wonder if I should go to a size 36.

By now I decided I was in love with the fabric and the top and didn’t want to take it off, so I put on my orange Stokx square pants and took more photos.

If I loved it with black, I adore it with orange!

I thought I had better take a photo to show off the sleeves. They might still be a bit long; they are supposed to rest on the inside of the elbow. I might shorten them on my next top. This photo also shows that it’s not well fitted at the bottom.

I sat outside with a cup of tea and enjoyed the smell from the orange jessamine flowers.

It got a bit cold outside so I went indoors where I tried a French tuck and decided that this is a look I really like as it improves the fit somewhat.

Although I began this top unsure of the fabric, it proved to be beautiful to sew. It pressed nicely and has a great hand. I’m glad I made it wait to be turned into this top!

If you want to try this top, you can enrol in Making Zen May 2026 which runs from 4-8 May,2026, where you will get the tutorials from 40 artists from all over the world, covering visible mending, mark-making, mixing media, and many more – and you can do it all for free.

If you are interested, check out Liz’s blog post which has a link to the retreat, where you can either enrol for free or as a VIP, which is the option I recommend. I’d love you to enrol for either through Liz’s affiliate link, just to show her some love for her wonderful patterns!

Finally, two little girls and their dog doing a puzzle with granddad!