Leaf Kimono Top

What's not to love? It's green. It's linen. It's lace. It fits. You can wear it over stuff; you can wear it anywhere. Everyone thought this was adorable.

Construction Note: The "sleeves" are rectangles which fold over the shoulders--your arms come out the long edge (with a short seam sewn under the arms) and the short edges are sewn to the top of the front piece and the back piece. So the underbust seams you see in the photos are actually the seams along the short edges of the sleeve piece. Keep this in mind if I talk about lengthening the sleeve pieces to drop the underbust seam a bit!

Sample garment si 37.5". In the magazine, it is modeled with about 5" positive ease at bust.

Erin

Her bust: 38"
0.5" negative ease

This top was meant to be worn with positive ease, but on Erin, with just a bit of negative ease, I still think it is cute. I think she would be happier with a larger size, maybe the 40", or even the 45.5", which would give her the loose, kimono-like feel the designer intended. Erin would probably want the underbust seam to be a bit lower, so she would have to lengthen the sleeve piece accordingly (see Construction Note above). Note that for Erin, we tied the ribbon in back so that the neckline was narrower and the shoulders stayed in place more easily. Erin probably would also want to lengthen this by about six inches or so.

Katie

Her bust: 38.5"
1" negative ease

This makes a lovely maternity top, although I think Katie might be more comfortable in the next size up. More length would help cover her belly as the pregnancy continues. After the baby is born, the 40" size would still fit Katie's normal 35" bust with a lovely, loose drape. Katie might also want the underbust line to be a bit lower, so she also might consider lengthening the sleeve piece (see Note above).

Sandi

Her bust: 41"
3.5" negative ease

I love this! I mean, it's not being worn as the designer intended, but even with All That Lovely Negative Ease, I would totally wear this top, just like this. Oh, all right: i would probably lower the underbust seam as described above. That would make it just about perfect! However, if I wanted a looser fit, I could make the 40" or 45.5" size. (I think at this point, I am just so delighted to be able to wear things that are NOT loose that I might be going a bit hog-wild with the whole negative ease thing.)

Stefanie

Her bust: 34"
3.5" positive ease

Pretty cute. This garment is so versatile on so many different body types that I am not sure I would change anything here. Maybe length? Maybe, maybe not.