Summer is teasing us here in Amsterdam – here one moment, gone the next, you really don’t know how to dress from one day to the next!
With this in mind I’m looking for pieces that will take my wardrobe from season to season in a flash – ie, separates!
I recently joined Seamwork after really enjoying their Design Your Wardrobe class on a free trial. I guess I joined at the right time because the majority of their recent patterns really appealed to me and I decided to start out with the Madhu top as a summery layering piece.
The Madhu is a really sweet raglan top with elastic casing at the waist, neckline and sleeves. I really like how on trend it is and has options for hacking – I’ve seen a couple of dress hacks on IG which look fun!
Seamwork patterns are all drafted for a C cup, which means there is a 3 inch difference between the high bust and full bust. As an A cup (1 inch difference) this means I will mostly have to do a small bust adjustment on their more fitted patterns.
As the Madhu is a loose fitting top though, I skipped this step. My measurements put me in a size 5 but I sized down to a 4 after reading some reviews on instagram which was the right call.
This was an easy sew and I think friendly for beginners. If you are getting used to stitching channels on your machine and using your foot for a measuring guide I think this is a good practising pattern!
I went for a lovely green gingham viscose which I bought from Rainbow Fabrics Kilburn earlier this year when they offered an exclusive discount to my Patreon members. I just bought a metre with a top in mind, perfect for the Madhu in my size!
This was a good option for the Madhu though you could use a whole range of fabrics from cotton lawn to linen and double gauze.
My only issue with the fit is there is some excess fabric at the waist which drops down a little at the sides. Reviewing the sample photos I notice it there too, but it doesn’t feel quite right on me. For my next Madhu I am going to try a swayback adjustment which should take out some of the excess at the sides but not affect the overall garment.
All in all, I loved my first Seamwork sew and will definitely make this again! It was a fun project and a couple of these will be great additions to any wardrobe. If you are new to sewing or prefer a video sew along, there is a video class for this top on Seamwork too!
Have you made any Seamwork patterns yet? I’d love to know which your favourite ones are!
Modista Sewing 