Alongside my testing the Itch to Stitch Tierra Joggers, I tested the Itch to Stitch Newport top and they go together like, umm, a top and trousers. I made four of these and I have to say that I think they will all be really useful additions to my wardrobe.
My favourite one is made from an Italian cotton knit from Knitwit. I only had enough to make the 3/4 sleeves, and, as the weather has begun to cool down, I am wearing this one a fair bit. Although I don’t generally like 3/4 sleeves, these are nice, with a slight bell at the bottom and feel really quite comfortable.
Followers on Instagram may recognise this photo
As I was squeezing the sleeves out of the scrap of fabric I had left, I managed to misplace the pattern and had this little cutout. A bit of patching and it’s hard to see the problem, and I had actually forgotten that it happened until I noticed this photo.
I also made one from this striped linen knit from Potters. I’ve had this in my stash for years, so am pleased to have it made up. It might be a little floppy for this pattern, but it’s very comfortable.
I teamed this one with my naturally dyed Tierra joggers, but I’m planning a pair that will coordinate better.
I have since tapered in the sides of this top and shortened the sleeves and it is so much more wearable.
I originally managed to sew the shoulders of this one back to front so the envelope was at the back.
I couldn’t live with it, so unpicked the shoulders and resewed. After I took this photo I unpicked the right shoulder and redid it so that it wouldn’t pucker like this. I am including this photo as an example of what can go wrong with an envelope shoulder.
This is a piece of op-shop fabric that has been malingering in the stash and, happily, it was the perfect candidate for a bit of reverse coverstitching.
I also made a merino knit version, and again felt as though it was a bit baggy so just ran in the sides all the way from the bottom of the body to the cuffs. It feels much less sloppy now. Also used reverse coverstitching to try and lift the plainness factor.
In terms of the pattern; it should take around five hours to make from printing to wearing. If nothing fancy, like coverstitching, is done, it’s a pretty quick make. The only tricky bit is the shoulders. As always with envelope shoulders, care has to be taken to line up notches and ensure that the overlaps sit flat. As previously mentioned, I didn’t always get it right first time, necessitating some unpicking, but it’s worth being fussy.
The pattern has just been released and is available from Itch-to-Stitch, with a discount of 20%. Teamed with the Tierra joggers I felt as though I was in secret pyjamas, yet I didn’t feel out of place at the local shops. Kennis, the Itch-to-Stitch designer, always has quite a few people test her patterns, meaning that the process is rigorous and picks up every misplaced comma and fitting issue. This pattern went through three iterations before Kennis was satisfied with the fit and construction, so I think it is safe to say that almost any sewist would find this an enjoyable make.
Love the floral top on you!!x
Thank you 😘
Lovely floral tunic. It will go well with a skirt too.
I think it will, thank you Sadhana!
All makes are so beautiful. The reversed contrast cover stitching looks great and is beautiful personal detail.
Thank you Sonja, I am keen to make one more with a bit of a twist that I saw in a shop today.
Love all your versions!! I wear mine all the time too!
They’re so good aren’t they?
Good work ! I prefer the floral one and the greytne one !
Thank you Agnès, the floral is my favourite too.
All lovely tops, my favourite is the floral one. The fabric seems to have just the right amount of body and drape for this top. Great work on fixing the hole in the fabric too.
Yes, I did save this fabric for the last top, and was pleased with how it turned out.
What a nice series of tops! The contrasting topstitching really adds interest to the grey and the blue ones. Funny, because while you were testing this pattern – I remember the photo of the unfortunate cutout in Instagram –, I made a similar floral tunic with a Japanese book pattern (for my participation to sewjapaneseinjanuary).
Yes, the cutout is fixed and forgotten! Thank you Hélène!
I like these a lot; I think the floral is my favourite but I’d love to see the linen stripe in its altered form.
I will try and take a photo and upgrade the post.
I like the envelope neckline of the top. It’s cute but it looks like a tricky one. You are so busy with your sewing, etc. your clothes closet must be the size of my house! Way to go!
My clothes are certainly the size of my house, complaints are being heard!
😂 ah well that’s why you sew for him too!
Love the envelope neckline – and what’s not to like about secret pyjamas?!
I agree, secret pyjamas are the best!
My fave is the floral version too! Cute set together!
Yes, I think the floral one is the perfect sort of fabric and I got the sizing right.
Wasn’t sure what the envelope shoulder was, looks like I didn’t know what it was called after all.
The floral is my favourite but I do like the reverse coverstitch on the other tops.
You can’t beat a bit of reverse coverstitching ;)!