Itch to Stitch Dana Point Top

When Kennis from Itch to Stitch asked who would like to test her new pattern, the Dana Point Top, I could not resist. We still were in the midst of the heat wave and I was in need for sleeveless tops that are work appropriate. The Dana Point Top fits the bill perfectly. With the V-neck, pleated waist and flared bottom it has a very feminine look. As most of the tops from Itch to Stitch, it has options for different cup sizes. That is always a great plus for me because I can skip the small bust adjustment I would have to do otherwise. The top is fully lined which I found to be unusual for a blouse. But it makes for a neat inside and I used up some sheer fabrics that I otherwise did not know what to do with.

Somehow I was in a flow so I made three tops in total within two weeks so this post is a bit picture heavy. Once you master the pleats (there are 36 pleats for one top) the sewing is straight forward and rather quick.

Fabric:

I used three very different fabrics, all from my stash. The first one is a linen with black leaf print which is a bit stiff. I wasn’t sure if this would work with the pattern, so I used this as my muslin. I liked it so much that I decided to finish it as well. The second one is made from a sheer gauze with stripes and small sequins. It is so lightweight and soft and a dream to wear. I did not bother to remove the sequins on the seam lines because I was too lazy to do this; I just sewed over them. They are rather thin and broke apart. The last fabric I used is a soft cotton shirting with a small red print on white. I decided that the print is small enough to skip any pattern matching. As lining I ued for all three tops a white cotton batiste. Buttons are all from my stash. For the striped version I made some self covered fabric buttons as I did not have anything suitable.

Alterations:

None! This is rarely the case but this time the pattern fit as is. For the first test version the armscyes were a bit tight, but this was changed for the final version of the pattern. They are still not very big, so if you have issues with small armscyes I would recomend to make a muslin first.

Construction Notes:

The construction is really interesting. As I said the top is fully lined, and the lining is sewn in completely by machine. The only handstitching involved is the bar tack at the side seam to keep the lining in place (which I totally ignored, uhm. Maybe I will add it later). This makes for a really neat inside and as you all know I love neat insides. You need to be precise though while sewing this up as and follow the instructions carefully as staystitching for lining and primary fabric are at different distances from the raw edge and when sewing the primary fabric and lining together, you have to shift the raw edges by 3 mm. This may sound weird at first glance, but it avoids the lining from  peeking out at the right side.

Conclusion:

A really nice summer top and office appropriate. Depending on the fabric choice the look can be from casual to elegant. As I now already have three of this in my wardrobe, I won’t make another one in the near future (and we now have more reasonable temperatures again, yeah), but I can only recommend this top. Look at the other tester’s versions here. The top is on sale until August 28.

Disclaimer: I got the pattern for free in exchange for testing it. I bought the fabric myself. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.