Tilly and the Buttons: Mimi Blouse in Liberty Tana Lawn

 For the past few years, I've collected a small stash of Liberty Tana Lawn Fabrics.  If I was standing on an edge of a cliff and someone forced me to pick my favorite fabric, Liberty Tana Lawn would be it.  (Side note: why would someone do that?  No idea)  Anyways, they are so soft, so sturdy, multi-functional (quilts, garments, curtains, bed sheets, etc), and they have a good combination of classic and modern designs.  

I've been saving this pink Liberty Tana Lawn Fabric (Tatum print) since I purchased it at the Liberty Store in London a few years back.   Initially, I thought I was going to use it for a quilt.  I wasn't sure what kind of quilt or anything, but it had pink flowers (✅) on pink background (✅) with more pink flowers (✅✅✅), so there was no question that I was going to leave the store without it. 😍 Is this what it means to be a Fabric hoarder/collector?  😆

So for my next #makenine2021, I thought it would be so pretty to make my Tilly and the Buttons Mimi Blouse with this fabric.  I thought it would be great for summer or spring, and I could also technically wear it with my suit for work.  I do love a pop of delicate top under a suit. 

I wouldn't say sewing this top was hard, but I wouldn't say it was quick and easy either.  The gatherings in the back yoke and on the front took a while to get them accurately, and the gatherings for the shoulders took a while to ease it in.  What took me the longest is making sure that when I was overlocking the seams, I had to triple check that there was no fabric caught underneath it.  Every step had to be done slowly and carefully unlike sewing jersey.  

 

But in the end, I think it was totally worth it.  It fits perfectly (I didn't have to make any adjustments), and I love the style too.   This was also my first time doing a french seam, and that was very neat technique to learn.

I made 1/2 inch cover buttons with left over fabrics.  It was a bit fiddly (note: cut a slightly bigger size fabric than recommended in the instructions), but I love how it looks on the blouse.

Nice detail that Tilly added to the sleeves.

Lastly, with the leftover fabric, I made a matching mask. More than a year into the pandemic, I think a matching mask is "almost" a necessity?  😁