Come into the garden – Deer and Doe Hoya

Hi there – I thought I would save time by taking photos of two finished projects at once – last week I told you about my Pauline Alice Port trousers and this week I am focussing on the Hoya blouse – so I apologise if the pictures all look rather familiar. It really feels like summer here now so time for more lightweight tops in my wardrobe!It’s no secret that I am a huge Deer and Doe fan. I wore all six of my Melilot blouses in Me Made May, and I have also made multiples of the Chardon skirt, Bleuet dress and Belladone dress. When Deer and Doe released their spring patterns earlier this year I fell in love with the Hoya blouse and ordered a copy immediately.The Hoya has a more relaxed fit than the Melilot – it has a faux wrap front and sleeves – either short or three-quarter length. It requires rather more fabric than you might expect as the front pieces are fully lined, meaning that you need to cut four front pieces. This also means you need to choose a really light fabric as you end up with several layers at the bottom of the wrap and it could easily get bulky.I made a first test version in a lightweight white cotton fabric that came from the Abakhan remnant bins last year. This cotton is very light with a slight twill weave. I cut a size 42 bust and graded out to a 44 waist and hip. The fit was pretty good first time – I made a slight broad back adjustment in my second version. My second version is made of a light green printed cotton silk fabric, which I got from  Classic Textiles on Goldhawk Road. This is a really perfect fabric for this style – its lightweight enough for the lined front, but still opaque for the single layer back and sleeves. It is soft rather than drapey and is perfect to wear on a hot day.

The fit is quite loose – its possible I could have taken off a little at the side seams, but after wearing both versions I quite like the relaxed shape.I was a bit worried about the depth of the wrap neckline. A few people who have made this shirt have commented on finding it too low. I thought it might gape but I found that it feels quite secure when I wear it and I don’t think I need to adjust it.Deer and Doe have provided instructions for raising the neckline as well as making an FBA or SBA – I am currently a B cup and I can imagine that if you have a bit more cleavage than that you might want to adjust!

Overall I really like the Hoya – I’m not sure if I will want six, but if I find some more lovely lightweight fabric I will definitely make another!

Louise