So I made another Maya – in part because I hadn’t done the pattern quite right with my first attempt, and also because this fabric really wanted a boxy tee – I had it in mind as soon as I saw it.
It is a frankly bonkers print! It is very busy and quite small, so from a distance it is hard to tell the features like buildings, animals, symbols etc. It’s also a really interesting colourway because it has purple, rust and blue bits running through the darker background.
I sewed this up over a couple of days because I’ve been quite unwell, although it really is an easy sew and could be done in an hour or two. The pattern is really straightforward and is written to include French seams, which I love – I really like including French seams for a nice neat finish on garments. Truthfully I prefer that finish to an overlocked seam – there is something really nice about everything being encased. Next thing I’d like to try is Hong Kong seams, which also achieve a lovely finish.
And the finished top! I managed to nail the bits I’d struggled with last time – e.g. catching the armhole facing in the French seams and the proper neckline etc. Sewing with tana lawn was interesting – it’s much thinner than anything I’ve sewn with so far, and it had a tendency to move. I got this fabric on sale for £10 p/m, which is a relative bargain for Liberty tana lawn, so this was a test run before I crack on with other Liberty tana lawn. Out of the 2m I managed to make this and a scrappy True Bias Ogden cami (adding an extra seam as I couldn’t get the full pattern pieces out of what was left), so it was good value.
You can see the difference in fit with the proper neckline and sleeves in the french seams – it looks more like what I was expecting to see first time round. The sleeves are tight on my arms but otherwise the fit is good – less oversized than my broderie anglais one (although I love the fit of that – so comfy!). If I make another, I’ll probably lengthen the grown on sleeves so they’re a bit looser.
Overall – I still really love this pattern and I’m sure I’ll make more Maya tops! But for now I’m intending to give it a rest and experiment more with other patterns, now that I’m comfortable with this pattern.
Sew Pippa 