When I describe myself as a sewist, I typically say that I am primarily a garment maker. This is a bit ironic given I haven’t made a garment (for myself) in almost a year. For one thing, I have been carrying around some extra pounds left over from my last pregnancy and I have not been anxious to sew clothes that might not fit at a later time. I’ve now reached my goal weight and am anxious to sew a few new items for my wardrobe. I have a fun dress all designed in my head which I am hoping to finish before the weather becomes too warm to wear it (though that would be a nice problem, wouldn’t it?) The other day I put on a knit top that I made last year when I was nursing and was reminded how much I like the pattern. I decided that I would “test drive” the fabric I’ve planned to use for the dress by making another version of this top.
The pattern I used is The Criss-Cross Top (#2787) by Jalie Patterns. This Canadian-based company, specializing in patterns for stretch knits, is known for easy-to-sew garments with a fashion-forward look. Most Jalie patterns are sized for stretch knits and come in multi-size format, typically more than 20 sizes per pattern, 2T through Women’s 22. The instructions are brief but the illustrations are very clear and you can print an extra set from Jalie’s website. Most of the patterns include multiple sleeve variations (I found you could mix and match sleeves between patterns) and many include an optional modesty panel. Seam allowance is ¼”, and the tops are easily constructed on the serger.
Both fabrics that I used for this top are cotton/lycra blends with 4-way stretch. I decided to bind each unfinished edge instead of hemming. My reasoning was two-fold: first, I like the way the contrast fabric highlights the gentle curves of the criss-cross panels. Second, I found when making an earlier version of this top that the neckline turned out too low when the edges were turned under and stitched. I did not trim off the seam or hem allowances before applying the binding which gave a bit more coverage. I did shorten the top overall.
This pattern goes together quickly and nicely, and is very comfortable to wear.
Stay tuned for the dress.
