I made a reversible top that is awesome for breastfeeding!! I hope you can feel my excitement. When I saw the tester call for the Dana Point Top pattern by Itch to Stitch, I quickly jumped on it. I just love the style of this top. The Dana Point Top is drafted to be a sleeveless, fully lined, button up blouse with pleats at the waist and shoulders. It has a v-neckline and is wonderful for lightweight cotton woven fabric. The pattern has cup sizes up to DD and has bust darts for cups C through DD. After I tell you my thoughts on the pattern, I will talk about how easy it is to make reversible.
The Pattern
The Dana Point top is a pdf sewing pattern for bust sizes 30 to 49 inches, waist 25 to 40.5 inches, and hips 33 to 48 inches. My measurements put me in a size 0 for bust and waist with a D cup and a size 2 for hips. I normally would grade out from a size 0 at my waist to a size two at my hips in an Itch to Stitch pattern, but this pattern is flared already at the hips so I made a straight 0 and did not grade.This pattern has 36 pleats and 4 darts (if you are cups C-DD). The pleats definitely took some time, but they are so worth it for the waist definition they give. My advice on the pleats is to mark them on the wrong side of your fabric and use a bunch of pins to keep them in place if using slippery fabric.
Fit
First, I made a quick, unlined muslin out of quilting cotton to check fit. The quilting cotton will later be cut up and put in a quilt. It will definitely tent and not give you the look you want on this pattern. If you have a sway back, you will have more poof at the top of the back pleats and need to adjust your pattern piece. I had the perfect amount of ease and did not need to adjust.I absolutely adore the finished silhouette of this pattern. I wore it to dinner with some girlfriends this past weekend and felt so put together! I think the slight flair at the bottom hides a big meal very easily, while the waist pleats keep you looking trim.
It’s Reversible!
For the lining, I used some very soft fabric that has been in my stash for quite some time. I never found the perfect project for it because it is slightly sheer, rather shifty, and looks like a hard print to match up. I probably bought it because I love the colors and loved how soft it felt next to my skin. I thought it would work perfect for lining because no one would ever see it! So, I really did not stress too much about matching the print or making sure the print was placed right. When I finished the top and tried it on, though, I surprisingly absolutely loved how the lining turned out too! So, when I was hemming my top, I did not hem my lining as the instructions detailed. Rather, I folded the hem of the main fabric over to catch and sandwich the lining fabric’s edge. The print is busy enough that I don’t think it is so noticeable that I have a strip of my main fabric at the bottom. If you wanted to make it without that strip, you would need to cut your lining fabric out to be the same length as your main fabric and hem them at the same time (the lining is just a bit shorter than the front so it doesn’t accidentally hang lower than the main fabric).To further make it reversible, I used black kam snaps as my closure instead of buttons and button holes. Kam snaps are pretty quick to install, and I like the way they look on this top. They also make nursing a baby even quicker because I don’t have to fidget with buttons while holding a crying baby.
Here is how the back turned out on the lining. Not too bad for how uncooperative this fabric was!
Resources
Pattern: Dana Point Top by Itch to Stitch. Pattern will be on sale for a week to celebrate it’s release. The volume discount still applies: Spend $20 or more to get 15% off, or spend $30 or more to get 20% off your entire cart
Main shirt fabric: Anna Maria Horner Fibs and Fables Starry Eyed Rayon Challis
Lining Fabric: a remnant found at Wherehouse Fabrics in Dallas. This is a great place to shop if you are ever in Dallas.
Snaps: Black Kam Snaps, Color B5, Size 20
Thank you so much for reading my blog! I hope I have inspired you! You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest.Photo Credit: my sweet 9 year, Abigail.
Disclosures: I received this pattern for free as part of the testing process to give the designer feedback about the instructions and fit of the pattern. This post also may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. There is no cost to you. Any and all opinions expressed are my own.
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