FINISHED! Lyla, Richard and the Mathilde Blouse

Et voilà, my second Tilly and the Buttons Mathilde. 

The fabric is Richard and Lyla, from the Liberty of London SS 2013 Guerilla Gardening theme.

From the Liberty of London website: Richard and Lyla, depicted in this print, met while planting tulips on a London roundabout. The design inspiration was a 1950s archive print which was then re-worked and hand painted to depict Guerrilla Gardeners bringing plants to an urban landscape, creating areas of beauty amongst the architecture. 

I bought this fabric earlier in the year from Addicted to Fabric and started the top in the middle of July in an effort to reduce my projects in time for a shopping trip to Tessuti.  My attention was diverted momentarily while I made up my Boardwalk Jersey top, but I got back to it last weekend.

I was just about to photograph it on Sunday, but put the camera on the top of the wheelie bin for a 'professional' photo shoot, as you do, and it fell off and the lens broke.  Mmmm, one of those weeks.  Ben replaced the lens on Monday and shhhh don't tell him, but I put the camera back onto the wheelie bin on Tuesday to try for another photo and it fell again, but not onto the lens this time. Phew, but needless to say, I've been a bit 'selfie shy' and the photos I did take I was all blurry and the background focussed.  How do you fix that on a selfie? Does a remote help? If so I'll be off to buy one this weekend AND get a proper tripod and get rid of the monkey grip one!  Anyway, I finally got Ben to take a few photos this morning - not the best obviously because he forget to get my face in!!? 

Enough about the photos.

 

I raved about this top last time I made it and I still love it second time around.  It is a bit big, but I just blindly did the pattern without any adjustments given I had made it before.   You can see that it is a bit big across the shoulders, but I'm not too worried. 

Just on the fabric, it was really hard to match as the pattern ran just off horizontal at an angle of less than 10'.  I played around with the fabric for ages trying to line up selvedges.  I finally forced the pattern to align as I thought it would look strange with the 'lines' running ever so slightlyon an angle. Luckily I don't think this affects the drape and the matching is so much nicer.  

I really should make this pattern in a fabric that is less busy. It is almost impossible to see the pintucks in these photos, which is such a shame as they are such a great feature.  The colours aren't my usual style and the pattern is pretty full on, so it does take a bit of getting used to but I think I'll wear it quite a bit especially as we move towards Spring.  I've worn it to work tucked into a navy pencil skirt but I think it will get just as much wear with jeans.

Is that my last Mathilde?  I don't think so somehow :)