By Hand London Polly 2

For my second Polly top I had so many awesome scraps I wanted to use that it was hard to choose the best ones.  Finally I settled for the silk-linen that was leftover from my Lisette Jacket as I adored the drape of it, and I paired it with the never-ending silk that was my Victoria Blazer lining (and my Papercut Saiph!)

I used a size US 6.  I took 1 inch from the centre front and about 1 inch from the top of the shoulders.  I cut about 2 inches off the bottom.  French seamed, and in order to show off the very cool selvedges I left the back open at the bottom since I didn't have enough fabric to cut it on the fold.  That also helps get it on without a zip.

I adore my new Polly top!  The fit is magical and actually the horseshoe front went in more easily this time as both my fabrics had just enough give.  Unfortunately this was the project that got shunted to the very end so I was sewing my bindings with the wrong coloured thread and it shows some on the front...

Photo update!  Thanks Mum!

By Hand London Polly top

So if you haven't seen the new pattern out from By Hand London, here it is!  And it's a free pdf download!  I had the perfect pieces of fabric to do this so it hopped straight to the top of my list, and took one evening to make (once I did the boring part of cutting and taping).

I used a greyish green raw silk for the body and a scrap of Mitzi Liberty for the front and the bindings.  The directions are awesome, as always for BHL, and they are correct in that it's hard to put that front panel in without a lot of careful easing and a mess of pins.  I had to redo a few spots and one edge still doesn't sit quite perfectly.

I cut a size 6/10 as that was true to my measurements and it's what I've used for their other patterns.  This is a much looser fit and probably would fit best on a tall person (or anyway, someone who isn't short-waisted.)  I did a quick fix by removing 1 inch from each side of the shoulders, which brought the armscye and the shaping up to my bust level.  The shirt is still quite long but as long as I think of it as a tunic I'm pleased - it has a great shape along the side seams that keeps it from being shapeless.  The hem is really exciting since it's rounded, and it was fun to do, too.

My awesome friend Angela conducted a great photo shoot.  Thanks, Angela!  We even paired Polly with my incredible suede Victoria (which I haven't taken off in the week since I made it, seriously.)  Overall the Polly is a cool make, with some thought required.