I've been wanting to make the Esme Top for a while, and when Wildwood arrived in the shop last month some of the prints seemed very fitting. This was my first experience with Sew Liberated patterns. I consider myself a beginner when it comes to apparel making (quilter here!), and I found the video walk-throughs extremely helpful. Video tutorials are available with the purchase of all Sew Liberated patterns. The patterns also include detailed written instructions so that an experienced sewist can move on without watching the video.

Since I added some contrast to the inside neck and front bib and the sleeve cuffs, I used an extra 1/2 yard of fabric over what the pattern calls for. If you're making a size 6 or smaller and not needing to match the print pattern across seams (as I tried to), you might be able to get away with using just 2 yards of the main fabric and 1/2 yard for the contrast. Otherwise, you may wish to start with 2-1/2 yards main + 1/2 yard contrast to ensure you have enough, or just skip the contrast altogether as Sew Liberated did. 

When I first tried on the main top I discovered the cut was a bit too baggy for my liking around the lower chest, just under the arm holes. A little bit of trimming - up to 1 inch per each side of front and back pieces, which you'll want to curve between the bottom of the sleeve opening and the bottom hem - and the fit was perfect.

The finished sleeve cuffs fall just beneath my elbows, higher than pictured on the model. If you prefer a longer sleeve, adjust the sleeve length accordingly, adding 3 inches or so.

Because the sleeve cuffs were a little too tight in circumference to fit my sewing machine, I gathered the top, cuffs and my hand sewing kit and headed to the North Georgia mountains for a cool fall weekend getaway with my husband (yep - a small hand-sewing project is the only excuse I need to head to the hills!) Hand sewing, especially next to a mountain stream, is so very relaxing and zen-like for me. I was a little sad when I finished the sleeve cuffs, but then remembered the four buttons I had waiting to finish the bib. Having not had the forethought to make the button holes ahead of time, I made them by hand (first time), and although a bit crude, you can't tell when the top is buttoned up (except for perhaps the placement of one of the buttons is a bit off, but not too bad for having eyeballed the placement, IMHO).

If you make the top, I'd love to see your results and fabric choices!