Nicole’s Bohemian Babydoll Top

I had the pleasure of pattern testing the Bohemian Babydoll Top (6m-9yr) for Elegance and Elephants a few weeks ago, and wound up making a top for Nicole. It wound up being part 2 of a coordinated set of pretty tops for my girls that they wore on Easter.

Nicole thinks its a very pretty top. She does ‘feel naked’ in it, which makes me laugh, because lately it seems if it’s not a jersey knit tshirt, she “feels naked.” So she wears a tank top under it so she feels covered – this one she feels naked with because it’s loose and flowy and after a long cold winter of tshirts and sweaters that feels strange to her.

As you can see here, the armscythe was a bit generous in this version but it has been modified since then. As to a general quick review of this pattern, here goes:

I found it a relatively quick sew for the most part. It is a loose fitting top with a lined bodice and no buttons or anything, it just slips over the head. I found attaching the little sleeve ruffle fairly easy, although I did find sewing together the lining and bodice at the armholes a bit finicky and time consuming compared to the rest of the pattern. I wouldn’t say it was hard, I would still rate this as an easy pattern. Just that one bit was a little fussy to press and sew, but not challenging to understand. I want to try this method by Colette Patterns blog for a clean finished lined armhole next time I do it. It’s a similar principle done differently. Everything else is pretty much long easy lines and smooth sailing. I like that the pattern is faced instead of hemmed; it’s the second top/dress pattern with a facing instead of a hem that I’ve tested recently and I love the clean and fast finish that facing provides. It also means you can eke just that much more out of a precious fabric.

Much like the name suggests, this top is fun and fancy-free. I can definitely see myself sewing more of this top in the future for my girls, I’m sure once it hits 30 degrees Celsius my darling daughter will find a sudden appreciation for clothes that make her feel naked, ha. As an added bonus, these cute little ruffle sleeves make this top fall under Approved Dress Code for her school, without being stifling. I think it would be fun to do the sleeve ruffle in a lace or sheer as well, perhaps a lace sleeve with a bit of lace on the bodice seam? Or with pompoms in between the facing and main fabric at the hem? There are plenty of playful summery possibilities here. I bet it would pair beautifully with another favourite E&E pattern, the Bubble Pocket Shorts which I sewed up last year for Olivia and blogged here. It is high up on my summer sewing to-do list to make some more of those!