Laura’s Fleur Top

It seems to be battle of the tie-front blouses! Which side are you on?

Ever since that viral Ganni blouse, sewists everywhere have been attempting to recreate it.

If hacking isn’t your forte, fear not as lots of indie pattern companies are now releasing versions of their own to take the hassle out of drafting your own – Sew Over It have the Maeve Blouse, Matchy Matchy Sewing Club have the Ruffle Brunch Set (and I’m sure many more others), and now the latest release of Nell from Tilly and the Buttons, and the Fleur from Fabric Godmother have joined the throng. 

I would say that the Nell and Fleur are probably the closest in design to the original Ganni one, with the elbow-length puff sleeves and the gathered peplum. Both are relatively similar patterns, and each have a beautiful dress variation too, it’s just little details that make them different.

Weighing it up, I eventually decided on the Fabric Godmother Fleur. It was the sleeveless version that Josie is wearing in the pattern images that sold it to me.

The pattern recommends fabrics with a “bit of body” to give the needed structure for the bows and peplum, so the cotton poplin this month is a perfect candidate. Hayley has picked such a fun print for the boxes this month! And working with cotton is always a treat as it’s so stable and easy to work with.

The pattern says that it is aimed at “Advanced Beginner”, and I would agree. There are no zips or buttonhole closures, easy to fit due to the boxy shape, and calls for a stable fabric. The only point of somewhat difficulty is the bias bound neckline (and armholes if making sleeveless).

The bias binding strips are the perfect size and have notches to match, so it makes it even easier to fit in place. I loved this little extra helping hand.

The whole garment came together so easily and has a lovely finish. Throughout the instructions, there are extra “Top Tips” that offer useful information to help you along, valuable even for the more experienced sewist.

In my mind, the main issue with this type of top is the gape. Try as you might to tie your ties really tight to keep yourself secure, the design of the top will always fall victim to a degree of “gapeyness”. If you’re like me and you don’t want to flash too much of the goods, then you can rejoice in the addition of a secret placket. 

This little extra bit of fabric is attached to one side of the front opening, and sandwiches in between when you tie the bows to offer that extra security for the more modest of us.

I love how voluminous the peplum is in this cotton poplin. It feels like a real showstopper of a top, especially in this super fun, tropical print. 

Now, I can’t speak for the Nell pattern, but if you’ve been wanting to get on this Ganni dupe train, then I think the Fleur is the perfect option, whatever your sewing level. It’s just bursting with sunshine and makes me so happy. And isn’t that what handmade is all about.