Floral Freya of Dreams

I’ve been meaning to have a go at the Tilly and the Buttons Freya top since Tilly’s Stretch book came out last year. The problem was, I really didn’t want any of the other patterns in the book. I have a raglan t-shirt pattern already and I won’t make a hoodie, jogging bottoms or the Joni dress as it’s just not my style. I was pleasantly surprised when someone said to check my local library and they had it in! I had a bit of an ethical dilemma about just borrowing the book and tracing the pattern and felt a bit guilty about not paying for the pattern. But I have bought Tilly’s other book (which I haven’t made anything from!) and lots and lots of her other patterns so I thought she would forgive me.

The Freya is the only pattern that I traced, and I had a flick through the rest of the book before I returned it, but as I don’t want any of the other patterns and I am a seasoned stretch fabrics sewist, for me, it was the right decision not to buy. As a side note, I absolutely love to support my local libraries as they are in rapid decline and I figure the more we borrow from them – the more we show the demand is there and they should stay!

Anyway, back to the sewing, I made my Freya top out of this gorgeous Cotton and Steel jersey. I am not much of a floral print person, as someone who tends to avoid pinks/purples like the plague I rarely find a floral print that I like but this fabric is right up my street! When I look at it I think of how a garden would look in the moonlight and I like that it has lots of little mushrooms and foliage, not just flowers.

I have already been wearing this top loads tucked into high-waisted skirts and layered underneath my Cleo dresses. Pro tip; DO NOT do your hair before pulling on a Freya top, the high neck needs to stretch to get over your head and I completely failed to think of this when I did my hair before getting dressed. Total rookie mistake I will try not to repeat (but I’m sure I definitely will).

This is already not my only Freya, I’ve made a second one already! I love the simple lines that is perfect for displaying busy fabrics and I like how the high neck keeps my neck warm. I have found that if my neck is cold then I’m cold so for the colder months this is the perfect solution! I guess only time will tell whether this will replace my beloved Gable top as my go-to jersey top pattern!

For the full blog post and full review of the pattern head over to this blog post over on the Minerva Crafts website.

What do you think about borrowing pattern books from the library? I’ve just found the Merchant and Mills Sewing book in my local library and whilst there isn’t actually anything I want to trace this time I feel the question arising again, is it ethical to copy patterns from borrowed books?! I want libraries to stay in our towns and cities so I just don’t know! Any thoughts?!

Disclaimer: ⭐️Fabric was provided free of charge by Minerva Crafts, as part of their Product Reviewer programme. All opinions are totally my own, and I wouldn’t recommend something I didn’t like!

Details:

Pattern:  Tilly and the Buttons Freya Top

Fabric: Cotton and Steel Jersey

My Measurements:

Bust 36″

Waist 32″

Hips 44″

Size cut / adjustments

Made the size 4 at the bust graded to 6 at the hips.

Anything Sustainable about this one?

Not really – sorry planet earth! The only good thing is because I squeezed this out of just 1m there were virtually no scraps so that’s got to be a good thing! I also think the jersey is excellent quality so this should last me lots more than 30 wears!