Back in January / February, I had the pleasure of choosing this fun, romantic, ruffly top pattern from the lineup of patterns offered in Issue 13 of Fibre Mood magazine, in exchange for promoting the pattern on launch day! I had participated with Fibre Mood launches before, and I was more than thrilled to jump in on this one. My baby bump was just beginning to show, and I knew this pattern would see me through pregnancy and nursing, between the lovely ruffled bodice and button-down front. I had the most romantic, dusky pink Liberty London cotton lawn just waiting on my shelf for the perfect pattern to come along, and the Rozan Top was the answer. It was all falling into place!
Issue 13 of FibreMood was set to launch on February 17th, and I’d cut it a little close on timing for finishing the pattern. We had been warned that a pretty decent winter storm was about to set in over the Dallas area, so I was trying to finish up my top while also thinking through how to prepare for the storm. I live about an hour away from the hospital that I work at, so in order to avoid a potentially dangerous rush hour drive and ensure that I’d be available to staff and patients on Monday morning, I’d decided to pack up a bag and sleep in my office on Sunday night. I spent a little time sewing my top, and left only my hems and buttons to be finished the next day. I enjoyed a little Valentine’s Day dinner with my hubby and tiny girl, and took the long, slow, cold drive into the hospital. I knew that I was in store for some cold photos the next day, but figured it’s a sacrifice I could make! I’d head home in the sunshine on Monday afternoon, sew those final finishing touches, grab some photos, and be ready to post on Wednesday!
As is so often the case, my plans were a big old flop. I left for work on Sunday night with a bag of scrubs, some pillows and blankets, a hairbrush and facewash. We lost power off and on at our home throughout the night, and the weather didn’t particularly ease up – it held steady and then got worse. My husband and toddler toughed it out for the first night, but when it became clear that the “rolling” power outages were no longer rolling, simply outages, it was time to reconsider. He packed a bag for the two of them, grabbed a few more things for me, and relocated to my brother in law’s house which had water, heat, family, and luckily for me, a pretty short drive back and forth to work. I spent the week bouncing back and forth between the pillow fort on the floor of my office and the kind hospitality of their home, and we finally made it back to our own house on Friday.
Needless to say, we had a whole Texas winter storm adventure, and in the midst of that wild and crazy fun, my top did NOT get sewn or photographed. I was too preoccupied to be as bummed as I would have been about missing a deadline, and I didn’t make it back into my sewing room until the very last day of February to finish up this beauty! However, it was certainly worth it – plus, it suits the springtime weather perfectly! I think these photos turned out a bit better than the cold, frozen photos I’d imagined having to go through originally!
A few notes on the pattern – this has such fun lines and is really a nice, unusual take on the button-down blouse. The lower portion of the bodice is set higher in the front and then swoops around to continue along the mid-back. I loved the construction of this top, and I think that it is something that can be worn casually at home but would also be office-friendly. I prefer to make a pattern as intended the first time around, though I will admit I was a little bit iffy about the additional ruffle on the sleeves. I really thought it would be a little too much! However, I think that in this romantic, dusky pink and overall muted color palette, it works out just fine. I played on the light blue of the flowers by adding these beautiful blue buttons that I had in my collection, and I love the end result. While the colors are a great match, I feel like the pop of that clear light blue is a bit unexpected and adds some visual excitement to an otherwise soft and subdued garment.
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of sewing with a LOT of Liberty London fabrics this year, and I’m not sure there is much left for me to say on the matter. Cotton lawn is always a lovely substrate to work with, but a high quality cotton lawn, like Liberty, is really something special. It behaves, follows my instructions, and still has a wearable flow and drape that feels great as apparel fabric. It is cool and comfortable, and will be great through the hot Texas summer.
Here’s to hoping that we’re done with winter storms in Texas for another decade, and I don’t miss any more fun launch days this year! PS – Little One is in all mama-made here, too – stay tuned in the next couple of days for details on her outfit!
Top: handmade by me
Pattern: Fibre Mood – Rozan Top
Fabric: Minerva – Liberty London Tana Cotton Lawn – Dusky Pink
Buttons: Tabitha Sewer – Ocean Classic Circle Buttons – 0.59 Inch
Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker
Schmetz Jersey Ballpoint Needles
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Heat & Bond Soft Stretch (Lite)
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this pattern! The fabric used for this post was provided to me by Minerva in exchange for photos and a blog post of my finished garments posted on their website. The Rozan Blouse pattern by Fibre Mood was gifted to me as part of the blogger group helping to promote the newest issue of Fibre Mood Magazine and the patterns it contains. All words and opinions expressed throughout this post are my own, as always. Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me balance the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!
- XX Elizabeth
