Pattern Review: Maven Patterns Rochester top

By


 I’m always on the look out for woven top patterns that have a couple of interesting details. Something that can be worn with jeans that feels slightly less casual than a boxy top. Far be it from me to diss the boxy top - my cupboard is full of them - but, bless them, they are not for all occasions. 

Frankly, the Rochester  pattern (named for Jane Eyre, surely?) had me at that neckline. I found the narrow elastic casing really appealing, and you may be relieved to hear that it doesn't sit *too* high around the throat, either (never a comfortable feeling).  The elastic casing can be set right at the neckline edge as I have done, or 15mm lower for a spot of added neck frill. I love how the gather cleverly forgoes the need for bust darts and additional closures. But wait, there’s more! The Rochester also has a nifty pleat in the back plus a nice wide curved hem facing. It’s a dress pattern too, with inseam pockets and a waist tie.


Fabric
I chose our washed linen in Slate, which is super soft and has a lovely amount of drape for the swingy hem. Next time, I’m tempted to try one in Liberty, or perhaps some double or triple gauze.

Construction
No dramas here. The pattern instructions are chock-full of extra details, hints and links to tutorials to get the details just right. All the notches match up and the set-in sleeves both went in perfectly first time with no puckers (win!) More on the shoulders later, though…

loving the wide curved faced hem sick
Sizing
Despite all the extra information included in this pattern I found selecting my size slightly confusing.  There is a finished garment size chart but unfortunately the bust measurement (which is all you really need too take into account when fitting this pattern) is taken with the back pleat closed - so that’s roughly 10cm of ease unaccounted for. For the record I chose the sized closest to my bust measurement and it worked out fine. Be aware that the size range is standard: the largest size offered here is an 18 with 42 inch bust and 46 inch hips, although considering that back pleat there is a lot of extra ease included within that range. 

Fit
So. Overall I’m thrilled with the fit - the edge of the shoulder hits right where it should and the extra ease created by the back pleat makes this a comfy but not too puffy shirt. All good! That is until I lift my arms and… cue a whole bunch of excess fabric pooling at my shoulder tips. Waaah! 


Next time I make this, I’ll swap the arm hole and sleeve head with one from another pattern that works well for me to get around this problem. This shape arm block must work well for some people, but not for either Jane or I unfortunately! Perhaps for you it will present no issues… garment drafting is fascinating like that.

you can see some the excess shoulder fabric remains on the left here, post arm-hole surgery
In order to fix this without wasting the linen, I reluctantly removed those pucker-less sleeves and trimmed a crescent-shaped piece from the top of each. Fortunately they went back in without a hitch. Some excess fabric is still there when I lift my arms, but less so and I’m happy to live with it now.


This will be worn to bits. Other than the shoulder drama, this is a really pleasing shirt with beautiful proportions and some really lovely details. Initially I wasn’t sure about the deep high-low hem facing (not really my style) but it’s turned out to be one of my favourite features of this top. Definitely worth the time. It’s a win!

The Maven Rochester pattern is available as downloadable PDF (with copy shop option) from the Maven website here.
Slate washed linen can be found here.

 - Fiona xx

Comments

Post a Comment

We love to know who's reading and what you think so please leave us a comment! We'll also try to answer any questions you may have.

Popular posts from this blog

Care of your Boiled Wool

By
Image
We have some lovely 100% boiled wools at The Drapery for this first time this year. The care of these fabrics was a bit of a mystery to us as well as to you, so we've done some investigation. Will my boiled wool shrink if I wash it at home? More than likely, yes. That surprised us, too. One would guess since the fabric is called 'boiled wool' and has a felted, non-fray texture, that it is pre-shrunk and would not shrink further. Not so - please be well aware! Here's what we found: We tried three kinds of gentle washing: - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle', 30 degrees , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. - Gentle hand wash, warm , with wool wash liquid, rinse, press dry in a towel. - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle' cold , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. In both warm washes (machine and hand) the wool experienced 10 - 15% shrinkage in length. There was little to no shrinkage in width. The cold wash showed sligh
Read more

Boiled Wool Shrug - free tutorial

By
Image
We have some luscious boiled wools in stock at The Drapery right now, and have put together a free tutorial for possibly the easiest garment you'll ever make! Searching for boiled wool inspiration, we came across this simple and lovely shrug by Manda of Treefall Design, who was inspired by a ready-to-wear piece. We whipped up a couple of prototypes in the shop and arrived at this which takes just a 75cm cut of fabric and three straight seams. Edges can all be left raw because boiled wool does not fray! REQUIREMENTS 75cm x boiled wool , ours is 150cm wide - would also work in wool knit fabric such as this Japanese wool blend (or this one ) and this Merino Rib Gutermann Sew-All thread in matching colour Cut about 50 - 55cm in from each selvedge so you have 2 pieces approx. 50 x 75cm, each with a 75cm fluffy selvedge. The piece from the middle is spare so you can use it for another project, or perhaps to embellish your shrug. Pin your pieces together along th
Read more

Pattern Review: In The Folds Jumpsuit (free pattern for Peppermint Magazine)

By
Image
Did someone say jumpsuit? Free pattern? By fantastic Australian designer In The Folds ? I was onto it like a shot! Pattern promo pic: I certainly hope Emily of In The Folds is paid quite well by Peppermint Magazine for the patterns she designs for them, because she's a thorough professional. This is a great pattern, a really well-constructed blank slate for individual interpretation or just a really clean, simple silhouette. So thanks Peppermint Magazine , for making this available to sewists everywhere (and for encouraging sewing in general)! And thanks Emily for the fab designs (more online here ). I made a muslin, which we always recommend and is particularly wise for a fabric-hungry pattern like this. You really don't want to use your 'good' fabric until you're sure of what you're doing. Muslin legs not full length because that was not necessary to check fit The pattern states that it's designed for a height of 5'7" which is a good f
Read more