The Edie Top - Balloon Sleeves And Summer Breezes
- Jenny Walker
- 12 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Summer has come early to Cornwall. Days start with mist rising off the river revealing clear blue skies by the time my tea has brewed. The sun has brought all my freckles out, and I have learned that the sunblock I have isn’t resistant to sea swimming. My wardrobe has had to come out of its comforting woollen cocoon to embrace the linens and cottons that are now looking at me from the ironing pile. It's the season of balloon sleeves and summer breezes, which means it is time for me to revisit The Edie Top, by Merchant and Mills.
Last summer, my Edie was the one project that was cut out and then sadly left it to linger. The reason it was popped in the to-do basket rather than under my sewing machine was simply due to the fact that the weather was so bloody awful last year; we had nine months of rain, and by the time the end of August rolled around, the idea of wearing the cotton broderie anglaise left me with goosebumps. Last week, as I flicked through the BBC weather pages to see that the sun was about to bless us with glorious days of back to back warmth, I remembered that it was there waiting for me, and decided it was about time to just sew it up and pop it on my body!
The Edie is a top that I have now sewn three times, and each one gets a little better. The first was done to the pattern, with ties at the back where the slit on the collar was placed (which ended up irritating me), and the sleeves were far too long, and the balloon detail was overly voluminous. (To be totally frank, the black and gold check made me feel as if I had remade Rupert The Bear’s trousers, and I didn’t like the weight of the cotton.)
The second was where I lengthened the top by two inches to avoid it being too cropped, and took the sleeves up, as well as in. To take away a lot of the volume of the sleeve, whilst still giving it a generous puff, I simply took the grain line and marked 2.5inches either side near the cuff, then taking my meter rule I drew a line from the bicep point of the grain line to the mark by the cuff on each side. This basically made a huge dart, and I just moved the marked lines I had drawn together to the grain line. Is this how it is ‘supposed’ to be done? I have no idea, but it worked, and the cream linen version I made with it was hardly off my body before someone decided it needed a red wine stain all the way through the front.
The second Eddie also taught me that I can hack the heck out of a pattern to make it fit my style, as bows at the back are not my vibe, and the ones on the sleeve cuffs end up in my coffee. My hack was to move the slit in the collar to the front and ditch the ties, as well as use elastic in the sleeve cuff in order to save both my laundry, and my coffee. Both decisions were perfect, and I kept them.
This third version is the best yet! I purchased the fabric knowing that I would have to piece it together along some hidden lines as I couldn’t afford enough to pattern match the whole thing without some jiggery pokery. I chose to do the piecing for the sleeves, as the puff would hide any edges that were not 100% pattern matched, whereas the front and back would be too obvious. It was my first time doing pieced work, and I was delighted with the results - the edges are well hidden, and they look great on the back of the sleeve, right near the seam.
This version also has a lining for the front and back, and although I know that there is a very pretty flower detail to the fabric, no one else will know, and I quite like that. It’s a bit like my pocket linings; they are always pretty and colourful, but they are just for me to enjoy.
I decided that I wanted to practice my French Seams for the project as I know that I reach for my overlocker too often. I was glad that I did, as my skills definitely needed to have the rust knocked off them. At the beginning they were a bit too chonky for my liking, and the first ones I did for the shoulder seams ended up having a top stitch put through them to ensure that they lay flat. However, by the time I got to the sleeves, they were looking a lot neater, and I am pleased that I stuck with the process. The only overlocked seams are around the armholes, as the three layers needed stabilising, and I wasn’t about to do a Hong Kong seam with bias tape… the sun is out now and probably won’t wait for me to stop procrastinating over that option.
I am delighted with the results from this project, and not just because I was wearing it out as soon as it had been through a much needed laundry cycle (it had been in storage for nearly a year!). I know that I need to spend more time sewing to keep my techniques in tip-top order, so it was a good project to start the rhythm of it again. I haven’t sewn much since my move down here, but I now feel as if I know my space better and can get into a flow in the evenings after work. I have moved stuff around in my living room to make this easier, and it’s a much more inviting space to create in. I think that coming to this version of The Edie allowed me to realise that I could still just do little bits each evening and not worry about doing it all in one go, and I am very thankful for that.
I absolutely love my version of the Merchant and Mills pattern. I have altered everything about it - even the back dart placements and the shoulder drops, but it has taught me how to do all those things; it is the perfect basic pattern to learn how to hack, and there is even an option to make it longer so that you can make a dress, which is on the list as I need a good beach cover-up.
I hope that you are encouraged to give it a go, as you can make it out of any flow-y material and end up with a winning staple in your wardrobe. If it is your first time with balloon sleeves, I would just urge you to make a mock-up first, as they are quite full and they may be a little overwhelming if you are, like me, a Hobbit.
Until next time, may your needles always bring you joy, and may your frogging be rare.
Love, Jenny xx
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