Lets streamline this shall we…?

There is a lot I like about this top. It has drape, interest around the neckline and cuffs, is comfortable…but we are not there yet!

I first came across the dress version of Scroop patterns Henrietta Maria on Pinterest, and was immediately intrigued . Those lovely tucks, generous raglan sleeves, this could be a summer go to. It still could to be fair, but a few adjustments are required.

The sleeves, oh dear reader those sleeves. Now I have spent a great deal of my adult life having sleeve “issues”. Even back in my racing snake days, my upper arms,like those of the woman in my family going back to my grandmother at least (Mum’s blaming her anyway) are substantial. Which is most handy for bread making (and I make fabulous bread!) but a bit of a drag for finding comfortable RTW tops . It’s become my mission in sewing to make great comfortable well fitting sleeves .

Well the Henrietta Maria has taken us from the sublime to the ridiculous. Those sleeves are HUGE. Its blowing a gale in Auckland at the moment, I’d be in danger of rouge gust catching my voluminous arms & parachuting me into a tree! *

In fact the picture above is after I have chopped about four cm (approx 2 inches) off the inside sleeve seam and sewn up, as you can see below, there was a lot of fabric involved.

I used a beautiful soft Cotton Batiste from Atelier Brunette (I know, I should make a muslin, dont practice with expensive fabric etc etc…….I’m just too impatient !), which is quite delicious to wear. Taking some excess fabric from the sleeve has helped, but as I also have quite narrow shoulders, and this pattern sits quite wide I need to do a bit of adjusting in that area also.

I do love the tucks. They are a little time consuming, but not nearly as much as they look, once you get into the rhythm you’re away. The essential tool is your trusty sewing gauge, which makes me feel terribly serious and professional, like draping my tape measure around my neck (at least until the cats attack it…)

The pattern comes in a size range 30-50, the largest being 127-112-137.5 (50-44-54), but please do bear in mind there is a lot of ease in this pattern! I shall be going down at least one size for my next attempt, possibly two (I made up a 44).

The pattern is PDF only, but their are only four pieces, and the instructions are clear, especially regarding the tucks, I had no issues.

I do think with some adjustments for size, sewn up as a dress in a light/medium weight linen this would be really great for both weekends and the working week.

This is a perfect style for a holiday, so I shall leave you with a gratuitous shot of the lovely Mr PK and myself sinking into the sand on a beach in Fiji, bula!

Kristina xxx

* It’s a real danger on a slow news day in Auckland I could end up in the paper….