Alice Top in Batiste

A few weeks (possibly months? Dunno. Time doesn’t make sense anymore.)…whatever, let’s say “a while back” to be safe. The point is, I stopped in at Cloud 9 Fabrics to drop off some sample products I had sewn for them and Michelle was wearing an amazing Alice Top in batiste fabric. We got talking about it and pretty soon I needed to make one too.  It looked so good on her and I couldn’t resist the simple but unusual design of this low-key top.

Actually, I made two. This one in Cenote from the Yucca line, designed by Leah Duncan and is the second attempt. It’s definitely my favorite of the two. Isn’t the design of this fabric just perfect?  I’m so often hunting for fabric that is not floral but is simple and still interesting.  It’s a tall order but this fabric nails it. It’s perfect under a cardigan alongside some denim. Also it’s a soft, flow-y batiste fabric, which makes it similar to a cotton lawn with a light weight and a soft hand but opaque. It’s got the feel of handkerchief fabric.  So lovely. I’m in awe of Leah Duncan’s ability to pull together pink, kelly green, black and orange without having anything overpower the other. She is such a talent.

Michelle did warn me that the pattern has some quirks. She recommended sizing down and I was reluctant.  I’m usually a solid M or L but I cut a S and it fits great.  So, heed the warnings and definitely size down. For my second attempt, I also cut off four inches at the hem to shorten it.  A drastic change but I love it with a longer tank top.  As you can see even with four inches chopped off it still isn’t a crop top, the hem hits at a standard length.

My first attempt was in Morning Song by Elizabeth Owen, this print is called Breezy Floral Blue, which is also a Cloud 9 print. And even though it’s a floral, it’s such a nontraditional floral that it avoids being a saccharin sweet floral.  I stitch this one up as a S but without cutting off any length. I also placed the fabric upside down.  It was sort of an accident but I do like it…reminds me of when I lived in Seattle and a massive wind blew all the cherry blossoms off the trees and everyone was standing around flabbergasted and all the cars were covered in blossoms. Such a great memory.

You can see just how long it is and frankly, while I like it, it reminds me of a maternity top. Considering how deep the pregnancy phase is buried in my psyche, I am not interested in re-living it, even sartorially. BUT, if you are pregnant, I think you could bust out an Alice Top and show off your adorable baby bump. 

I will probably get around to cropping this top as well, just so that it gets worn more often. P.S. I’m wearing my tank dress under this top.

One more tidbit of nitty gritty, as I sew together more and more of my wardrobe I continue to pay special attention to how I finish my seams.  If I am going to wear something again and again and ostensibly wash it, I do not want to deal with crazy fabric fraying and leaving threads all over.  For these Alice Tops, I sewed with french seams as I almost always do these days.  I also fully enclosed all the seams of the front and back yoke so it is fully lined at the top.  Here is how it looks on the inside:

I decided to line each yoke with a light-colored fabric so the pattern didn’t show through on the right side of the top and even highlighted the pattern a bit. I love when it looks pretty on the inside, too.