Agnes x3

I have now returned to work following maternity leave, and have been forced out of my everyday uniform of t-shirts and sweatshirts.  While I can wear jeans to work, I do have to be smarter than for the school run.  Inevitably, smarter tops = more ironing, and we have mountains of ironing every week as it is.  So my quest has been to make some jersey tops that are smart enough, but I can get away without ironing.  My Mum bought the Agnes pattern from Tilly and the Buttons a while ago and has made several versions.  I love how may variations there are to make it quite different depending on fabric, sleeve length and type and plain or ruched front.  Mum made me an Agnes top for my birthday last year, which I loved.  She made it in my usual size, so it was a while before I felt comfortable wearing it, but it has now become a wardrobe staple.

I had several pieces of jersey fabric in my stash which I decided to use for this.  I bought some fabric at the Handmade Fair in September to make a jersey top.  This is a really thick jersey which holds its shape well.  I decided to make the plain front and ruched sleeves version as I thought the fabric would hold the ruching well.  It was lovely to sew with and the instructions were as clear as I've come to expect from Tilly.  I love sewing with jersey as it's so quick with no seams to finish.  I added about 2.5cm to the length as I prefer slightly longer tops with jeans.  I've already worn this one quite a few times (and it looks great without ironing - bonus!):

The next version I made was using some red spotty jersey which I think I bought from Plush Addict in the sale (it's a sign of a serious fabric addiction when you can't even remember where all of it comes from....).  It was much more drapey, and did stretch a bit while sewing, especially around the neckline, despite my best efforts.  I'm quite pleased with the final result, although I think I prefer it in a thicker jersey with less drape:

The final version here is actually the one my Mum made for me.  The type of fabric is really similar to the first one I made, but she made it with plain long sleeves and a ruched front (I had no make up on when the photo was taken, hence me asking Gareth not to include my face!):

Overall, I can't recommend this pattern highly enough - it's quick and straightforward to sew, really wearable and the variations mean you can create really different tops from the same pattern.  I will definitely be making plenty more Agnes tops soon - in fact, I have some pink jersey with black horses printed on it that I may even make an Agnes with this weekend!