A daffodil Lou Box Top

I promised you a second post about the new Lila-Lotta fabric collection, called “On the Open Sea”, and here it is – a modified Lou Box Top by Sew DIY. (You can find my first one here.) Although spring is on its way, it’s still going to snow for quite a while and I wanted to make something fun that reminded me of the warmer times to come.

The On The Open Sea Collection consists of cotton jersey fabrics and flowy woven viscose fabrics, and I especially like the viscose fabrics. They’re really nice to wear and have a lovely drape. So it might not be a big surprise that I chose to use another viscose print for my second make – this time with tiny lighthouses instead of tiny jellyfish and in a bright yellow. A wise lady in the Lila-Lotta sewing team pointed out that I look like a daffodil in the snow. And I quite agree, to be honest!

This is my second Lou Box Top, you can see my first one here, and I’m wearing it rather often. It only made sense to make a second one! I decided first on the fabric and later on the pattern, and since the print is rather bright and lively I opted for a simple silhouette for the top. I am often wearing dark jeans or pants and a blazer to work, and a simple bright top underneath a blazer can make add just the right amount of playfulness to an outfit.

I chose to make the Lou Box Top with a curved front, a curved back and a scoop neckline. I made a few modifications: I raised the scoop neckline about 1″, cut the back on the fold, omitting the button closure, and I added bands to the sleeves. The neckline is still wide enough to be pulled easily over my head. I also omitted the slits at the side. The main reason for this was that I sewed the whole top with French seams and that makes it impossible to sew a slit. Hemming around such a curved line is a little cumbersome, but the fabric behaved nicely and I’m happy with the result.

I’m not sure if I’m entirely happy with the neckline finish on this top: The instructions tell you to sew a band to the neckline and to then fold the band to the inside of the top and to topstitch the neckline. On both of my versions this results in a little too much bulk at the neckline and the neckline not lying entirely flat. Next time I might try binding the neckline a little differently.

Oh, and if you haven’t noticed: I’m wearing my new Jamie Jeans, which I am now wearing all. the. time! You can read more about them here. So, you’ve seen both of my makes from the On The Open Sea Collection, and now I’m eagerly awaiting the fabrics for the autumn collection – I can tell you that much – there are some seriously cute prints in that collection!

– As part of the Lila-Lotta sample sewing team I got the fabric for this top for free. However, all opinions are, as always, my own. –