Finished Project: Royal Mathilde

 

Oh, hello! I've had this charming pattern printed, taped, and cut out just waiting for some fabric for, like, a year? I kept getting hung up on the idea of making those tucks down the front and then getting distracted by other new projects. I knew I could do the tucks, but, couldn't make myself actually just do them. Then I saw this adorable gathered variation and knew I'd found the prefect solution. 

Then months passed. Finally, here it is.

Somehow, these shots don't quite capture the most flattering side of the top, but I still love them. The fabric I used is a Royal colored Rayon Batiste from Fabric.com and it is very fluid and drapey. It also creases relatively easily, as you can see from the evidence of wear on the back of the shirt.

Other than switching out the tucks for gathers along the blouse front, I didn't make any changes or alterations to the pattern. It fit right off the bat, thanks to the loose style. For the buttons down the back, I agonized over what color and style to use (navy blue? bright red? shiny gold shank buttons?), then settled on a mis-matched, ombre look. From purple-blue down to dark navy, each button is slightly different, but in person it's still rather subtle. 

You can see a bit more of the fit in this candid, walking-talking shot. My favorite detail on the top is the gathered sleeves. I've never owned anything with this sleeve style before and I think they're really elegant and interesting! Nice work, Tilly, on an awesome pattern! 

All in all this was a fun and easy blouse to sew. The only thing that got to me was the number of time consuming (for a slow sewist, like me) techniques, like making the sleeves that are gathered at the head and cuff, and doing the placket and buttons. These parts, though, are what make the top appealing because they're great details.

I highly recommend this blouse and do believe I'll be making another, either with the tucks, or re-drafting the front to just be flat (no tucks), using Tilly's tutorial. Speaking of Tilly, have you seen her newly released top/dress pattern, Coco? It's super adorable, and available in print! I can't wait for mine to arrive in the mail.