Maz's Wilder Gown Top

Hi everyone.  I’m here sharing my Wilder Gown top for a Jenny Stitches blog post.  I’m sure this pattern isn’t new to most of you, in fact I think you would have to go into hiding in the sewing world to have not bumped into the top or floaty dress version of this Friday Pattern Company make.  There has to be a good reason that everyone loves this pattern though, isn’t there?!

Firstly, I should say that this is a pattern I have made before and it gets worn a lot.  It’s comfortable yet feels more stylish than your average t-shirt or top, so ticks lots of boxes.  It really is the perfect top for when you aren’t sure how ‘fancy’ to dress for an occasion, as it feels like the perfect in between option.  I know Jenny herself is a big fan of making a sustainable wardrobe of clothes that we love and wear.  For me this pattern fits that brief and all I need is the perfect fabric to make it shine.

I have had my eye on a couple of Jenny’s cotton lawns for a while, and I just LOVE the colours in the Borrowdale Cotton Lawn.  It has a true purple, wine and mustard colour with some sage green foliage and navy blue.  I love all these colours, but I don’t really own a lot of those shades.  The fact that the print has some navy blue and a cream background, makes it easy to pair with other items in my wardrobe and means I have a top that isn’t too similar to any of my others.

Cotton lawn is just so lovely to work with.  I was excited as soon as my parcel arrived from Jenny as the fabric is so smooth and soft.  It always feels like such a luxury to sew with as it feels beautiful but behaves at the same time.  As this was a pattern I was familiar with it was really nice to sit and enjoy the sewing, taking my time to be accurate and get a good finish.

The Wilder Gown pattern is quite a simple pattern to sew with raglan sleeves and a gathered neckline.  There aren’t any fastenings like zips and buttons to worry about and this is also quite an easy design to fit.  I am towards the smaller side of the Medium size in Friday Pattern Company patterns, but a lot of people suggest sizing down if you don’t want it to be as oversized.  I found my previous top fitted well when I sized down, but I did add a bit of extra room to the bust area.  To do this there isn’t a Full Bust Adjustment to make, just simply a cut and spread line to increase the space in this area.  Again, this simple method is explained well and makes the pattern accessible for beginner sewers, or those nervous about attempting a Full Bust Adjustment.

I love the pattern but as I had made the top before, I knew I wanted to change the sleeves a bit this time.  The pattern has regular slim sleeves with a simple hem and I changed this to make bishop sleeves.  I think the gentle, billowy, sleeve style suits the top well and gives it more of an Autumn/ Winter feel.  To do this I used the ‘slash and spread’ method of making a sleeve wider.  I then cut two long rectangles an inch wide (about 2 1/2cm) and cut one of these to fit my wrist taking into account seam allowance and the need to be able to move my hand/wrist!  I then cut the other triangle to the same length and made these cuffs in the same way you would make a length of bias binding.  I then gathered the wide sleeve and attached the cuffs over the gathered ends.

I’m really pleased with the sleeves, and although this added abit of extra time to the cutting and sewing part, it was well worth it.  I am definitely planning more. I haven’t even made the dress version yet but that has to go on the list! How many Wilders is too many?

Inspired to make your own version? Here's what you'll need:

Pattern: Wilder Gown by Friday Pattern Company

Fabric : Borrowdale Cotton Lawn

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