Lake Octavia Liberty Top

Katherine from the office wanted to give her mum a beautiful Liberty Top for her birthday. She doesn’t sew herself so asked Laura to make it for her. The end result is simply stunning. A fantastic fabric and pattern choice from Katherine and beautiful sewing by Laura.

Katherine is modelling the beautiful top.

Katherine told me a little about why she chose the fabric and pattern.

What pattern did you use and why?

“I’ve always wanted to give my mother something beautiful to wear in Liberty, having worked at Alice Caroline for a long time. I am not a dressmaker; it’s a dream to make most of my clothes one day. I have a million Liberty dresses in my head, waiting patiently to be made.

One day I was talking to my colleague Laura about the new season fabrics and how Lake Octavia would make a mindblowingly lovely top! I ended up commissioning her to copy the Toast top I was wearing that day, it’s a style that both my mum and I love: boat neck, three quarter sleeved, with a boxy cropped feel. It’s a casual shape but it can look really dressy too. Laura did an amazing job, particularly as my top was jersey; she made alterations based on how the tana handles and drapes differently.”

Why did you choose the fabric?

“I’m pretty obsessed with some of the large-scale florals Liberty have produced over the years. I love historic fabrics, particularly from the 18th century, a love I inherited from Mum. The Liberty designers create such exquisitely detailed, high quality prints that are very usable in a contemporary way.”

Was it made for a special occasion?

“It was a slightly last-minute commission for Mum’s birthday – I maybe should have saved it for a ’special’ birthday but I just knew she’d love this fabric so much!”

Does your mum love the top?

“Mum is absolutely thrilled with her top – I know she has already worn it to go out for dinner with beautiful navy linen trousers. It has lovely details – it’s lined in navy Tana Lawn and it has a handwritten message sewn on the inside from me to her.”