I first sewed the Tessuti Lily dress in 2012.  That dress is still in my wardrobe and is still worn!  I have actually sewn the pattern another three times since then (once for Mum and twice for me).  The orange linen version is still in my wardrobe getting regular wear, and the sleeveless version was worn and washed so much that it’s actually been worn out!  Each time I wear the Lily dress I think about how much I like the fit across my shoulders, and think that I really should use the same pattern to make a top.  Finally, that’s what I did!

The beautiful Japanese seersucker that I used was a gift from a generous friend. The check is printed, not woven in to the fabric. I decided to keep the flare in the side seams, and just cut the pattern straight across at the desired length (mostly determined by the amount of fabric that was available).

I find this such an easy top to sew! The neck is finished with bias binding used as a facing. Hems are simply a narrow hem turned twice and topstitched. I used the overlocker to finish seam allowances, but otherwise sewed it on the machine.

Have you noticed the white pants that I am wearing with it? These are the same pattern as the orange pants in the last post – McCalls 2699.

This time they are sewn in linen from The Cloth Shop. I had a pair of wide leg white linen pants many years ago that I wore to death (I had a wide leg black washed silk pair as well that was also worn to death) and I’ve always thought that I should sew a replacement pair. It was a bit of a challenge finding white linen that was the right weight for pants, but fortunately The Cloth Shop had a range to choose from. This linen is just right.

I did a stash dive again for elastic and a toggle for the waist. This is a very easy adjustable finish.

At around the same time I was planning to sew the Lily dress as a top I saw in this Instagram post from Tessuti, showing Silva’s Lily dress as top. She removed flare at the hemline and used the fabric selvedges at the hems. I might give that a go next time I am working with a fabric that has an interesting selvedge!

Size wise, I sewed the Medium, which according to their size chart is for a 96cm/38″ bust. My measurements are one size up, but the Medium seems to fit me well. Tessuti offer this pattern from a 32″ to 42″ bust, so the size range is pretty limited. I find that Tessuti patterns are ones that work well for me and stay in my wardrobe for some time.