From Tablecloth to Travel: A Handmade Top for Morocco

I have been sewing again with an old embroidered tablecloth. This one was not a family heirloom, but I must have bought it from a charity shop, I think. So long ago I can't remember where, and like lots of other pieces of fabric it has been tucked away in a box, awaiting its turn. 

 

For this project I have used my go-to pattern: the Ethel Ruffle Blouse, from Tiana's Closet. Once again I put seams down the centre front and back to give the top some symmetry. My favourite section is the back, and after all it is good to look stunning as you walk away. 

 

Again I had to use the last bits of my plain tablecloth for the bottom section, and have not put any gathers, as that is what my daughter prefered.

 

 

Same v-neck, and this time I made it without sleeves, and improvised some facing pieces to finish the armholes neatly. Below is a corner of the original tablecloth. 

The top is already in the post to my daughter, who is off on holiday to Morocco next week. I am hoping she may send me a photograph of herself wearing it, but that may not happen. 

And no, the fez perched on top of my dressmaking model isn't because of the Moroccan theme. It's lived there ever since a New Year’s Eve a few years back, when—after watching Squeeze on a Hootenanny—we thought it’d be hilarious to order a fez as our first act of the year. Possibly too much champagne was involved.