Sew Fab Pattern Sale: Piko Top

I'm so excited to be a part of the Sew Fab Pattern Tour, which means that the Sew Fab Pattern Sale is on right now!

Among these patterns is the Women's Piko Top, which is the pattern that I used for both of the tops pictured above.  Actually, Hannah is wearing her Norah Dress in the above picture, which is also a pattern included in the bundle.  So so fun.  Anyway, back to the tops that I sewed for myself last week.

The Piko top has an easy, comfy fit, and I was drawn to the effortlessness of the wide billowy shape.  Basically, it just looked awfully darn comfortable!  It has a long sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, and cap sleeve option in the pattern, but I decided to try out a few other options as well. 

Good news, my friends.  I sewed the bodice of this top, slipped it on to check the size, and decided that I liked it as is.  The bodice has a bit of a wide sleeve already, so I just folded it under, topstitched, and was done!

There are 3 different hem line options with this pattern; hi-low, side tail, and straight.  I chose the hi-low for the front, rounded off the back, and opened up the neckline a little bit.  I love it, and it is soooo comfy!!

For the second top I wanted to try out the side tail option.  When I tried the bodice on I was reminded of a favorite tank from last summer that had a very wide bottom and tunic feel, so I decided to try to recreate that.  

I cut the pattern pieces for the bodice with side tails and stitched it all together.  Then I tried the top on, pinched the fabric about an inch under my armpit (beside the bra line) and pinned the front to the back at that point.  Then I removed the shirt and drew a generous new side seam from the pinned area to the hem of the shirt.  This gave me a slightly snug fit around the bust that gave way to a very wide fit by the hips.   

Since there is no tank option that comes with the pattern, I grabbed a tank top that I had on hand that gave me just the right amount of coverage, and used it as a guide for the size of the arm and neck holes.  Easy easy easy.  

I love a pattern like this that comes with a lot of options, but still leaves plenty of opportunities to be customized.  It seems like a cute, comfy, knit top should be easy to come by in stores, but sometimes it's really not.  Too short, too tight in weird places, to snug on the armpits, etc.  It was a great feeling to put these in my closet this afternoon and know that they are each exactly how I want them to be. 

The sale ends today, so hurry and get it before it's gone!

  You can purchase the Sew Fab Spring Pattern Bundle for $29.95 this week only! The sale ends on May 13th, and once it's over, it's over. You can support independent pattern designers by purchasing the bundle from any of the designers below.

(Designers in order from Top left to right) Greenstyle Creations, Handmade Therapy, MODKID, Everything Your Mama Made, The Scientific Seamstress, Figgy's Patterns, Two Sweets Patterns, Things for Boys, Patchwork Posse, Betz White, LBG Studio, Mouse House Creations, Gingercake, Heidi & Finn, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Terra's Treasures, Paisley Roots, Molly Blossom Designs, Sewing Mama RaeAnna. Sale sponsored by The Southern Institute.