I bet you didn’t know that I went to fashion college? I used to LOVE clothes, and really enjoyed experimenting with new styles. During my early mom years that gradually petered away, as I found myself prioritizing comfort and washability over anything else. But since moving to The Netherlands I’ve had a renewed interest in clothing. Now it’s not so much about fashion, as expression. I want what I wear to reflect my personality, like my quilts do. I want to enjoy getting dressed.

Last weekend I sewed myself a new top!

The pattern is the Strata Top by Sew Liberated. I can highly recommend this one, friends! In fact, if you’ve never sewn a garment before and want to sew something for yourself, I think this is a great place to start.

The pattern is very clear and rather simple. I think cutting out and taping together the pattern papers is the step that took the most time and patience, lol. Plus, the fit of this top is super forgiving, which means choosing the right size isn’t high stakes. Speaking of sizes, it comes in sizes 0-30!

I love that even though it’s simple to sew, the Strata top has a fun, stylish cut. It’s swingy and playful. Combined with the personalized fabric choice, this feels like “me” instead of generic.

I sewed my Strata top in an Art Gallery Fabrics rayon by Katarina Roccella. The fabric is called Frutteria Bleu and was released about 3 years ago. I’ve had this fabric sitting around, not knowing what to do with it. I’m so glad I came across Strata via The Confident Stitch. It was absolutely the right pick for this fabric! In the future I’d like to sew another Strata in a different substrate, like a linen blend or double gauze. This is a top I know I’m going to wear and wear - and feel good in! I should definitely make more.

Speaking of, I’ve had some trouble with my other handmade tops getting too tight under the arms. I think they fit right at first, but keep shrinking over time? My habit has been to prewash/machine dry rayons a single time. Maybe in the future I need to do multiple prewashes? What do you think? I don’t put my handmade items in the dryer, but rather let them hang dry.

I didn’t do multiple prewashes with my Strata top, but I’ll have to remember for next time. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t shrink!

P.S. Looking for garment fabrics? Try The Confident Stitch. They have rayons, linen blends and beautiful lightweight fabrics that would make lovely Strata tops.