Tessuti are releasing new patterns at a rapid rate at the moment!  One of the latest free patterns is the Zoe top, designed especially for sheer wovens like chiffon or georgette.  It is a straightforward loose style, with 3/4 magyar sleeves cut on, and a bias binding on a wide neckline.  Because the pattern is just the front, back and binding, it also doesn’t take long to tape together and cut out.

I cut this out at size Large, guided by my measurements. The fabric is from Spotlight, and is a polyester georgette that was on their clearance table for $6 per metre (the pattern takes 1.8m). The spots are actually teal in colour, and the background colour stripes from mustard to cream across the length of the fabric.

Perfect for a wearable muslin, I thought! And also perfect for Jungle January.

I hand-stitched the bias neckline binding down, according to my new theory of doing things a little more slowly. Sadly, I didn’t take the time to stabilise the neckline immediately after cutting – and as instructed by the pattern – so the neckline stretched out and is much, much wider than it ought to be. My bad. Because it was a wearable muslin, I used my overlocker for the seams rather than using french seams as per the instructions.

The pattern had “shorten/lengthen here” lines, and I folded out the full amount to shorten it. However this top is still rather long on me. This wearable muslin is going to be given away to my friend Jennie – who has a fondness for animal prints – and I intend to make another for myself in a size Medium, with a stabilised neckline, french seams, and preferably in silk rather than in polyester. However, it’s not a bad start to the 2014 sewing year and it definitely blew out the cobwebs!