Jackie Top

Have you ever come across a pattern that is made for both woven and knit fabric? The Dutch Pattern Studio released the Jackie Top which is made for both types of fabric. This is quite a rare phenomenon. I have seen people hack woven fabric patterns sometimes to suit knit fabric and vice versa. It’s also a pattern that has a few variations so it can be a summer top or a dress.

I had some leftover fabric from making the pattern test I did for the Maker Haus Nadine skirt and so I thought that rather than sticking it back into the cupboard and letting it sit there to oblivion, I would instead use it to make the Jackie Top. I picked the top with the ruffled sleeve openings because I thought it would make quite a cute matching set with the Nadine Skirt. Let’s see if I find an occasion where I can wear it as a set. 

So, because my version is made with woven fabric, I had to install an invisible zip into the side seam. I don’t mind installing zips, but I thought that if I added a back seam and a keyhole opening, I might be able to forgo a zip which would make it easy to slip the top over the head. I did this by adding a one-centimetre seam when cutting the back bodice rather than cutting the piece on the fold. Then when I went to sew up the blouse, I stopped the sewn seam at the level of the sleeves and left the seam above that open. I then extended the bias binding for the neckline so that I could have a tie closure.

It was a bit of an experiment because this make was a wearable toile as well as a bit of a hack. I basted the side seams together after I had created the back keyhole closure. At this stage, I had also decided to leave off the fisheye darts in the back bodice. It was possible to pass the top over my head, but I found it a bit snug getting in and out because the waist actually pulls in and fits quite close. There wasn’t enough ease in it to forgo the zip. So, once I had established that I wasn’t going to work, I then installed the invisible zip the left side seam. I left the keyhole opening because it looks like I would have needed to make a broad back adjustment. I also left the fisheye darts but now looking at the how the fabric bunches, I would include these in my next version of this.

I felt the sizing was quite true to size. My measurements of 38-inch bust, 33-inch waist, 40-inch hips fitted between size 42 and 44. The thing that confused me was that the measurements were given as a range. I printed and cut the 42 because the 44 was quite a jump in sizing on the printed pattern. I now wish that I had graded between the two sizes. I needed to grade to the 44 at the waist. I wasn’t keen because the pattern uses French darts rather than the usual bust dart’s folded construction, it is open and starts lower, so I wasn’t quite sure how to get around that. I was intrigued by the construction of the French darts, and I feel that they give a beautifully fitted look. 

In the end, I’m quite pleased with the final result. I feel that the pattern probably leant towards a woven construction. I’m not quite sure about doing the French darts and fisheye darts on a supple knit. It would probably work for a lightweight knit but then there would be the stretch of the fabric to consider. There wasn’t a stretch ruler or guidance on the type of knit you would use so I’m not sure what to advise. I should also mention that although a confident beginner could work out the instructions, it does not come with illustrations, and I couldn’t find any sew along tutorials. The instructions are perfectly good for someone with some sewing experience under their belt.

This is a comfortable and pretty pattern that I would be happy to return to. Some of my favourite features are the French darts and adding the ruffles to the sleeve openings with the neat finish of the binding. My neckline binding stands up a bit because I had to use the binding differently to add a tie closure but it’s something I’m happy to live with!

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

X Em