Gemma’s Grace Top

With the purple viscose jersey in November’s Mini Box Gemma made a gorgeous Friday Pattern Company Grace Top

I have to give full credit to Tamlyn for inspiring this month’s make, as she is just a wealth of ideas when it comes to projects for smaller amounts of fabric. 

Usually when I have received a Mini box it contains cotton fabrics, which I find easier to pair with ideas, however this month’s fabric was a little trickier! A beautiful viscose jersey, I had no idea where to start with coming up with an idea that only uses 1 metre! But it just so happens that a few days earlier Tamlyn had posted a picture on Instagram wearing The Grace Top, and I knew instantly that I had to give it a try!

I received the purple colourway of the jersey, and am really pleased with the shade. I seem to be embracing purple a lot more in my wardrobe lately, never really had it down as a colour I was drawn to, and that’s the great thing about a surprise box! It is lovely and soft with lots of drape, so making something simple would be ideal for this type of material.

The Grace Top is a simple, easy to sew sleeveless top from Friday Pattern Company. If you have been following my recent makes, you may feel I could be becoming obsessed with their patterns, and you are right! This top looked to be just as pleasing as the other patterns I have tried and certainly didn’t disappoint.

The pattern itself consists of only 2 pieces – yes, you read that right! You have a front and back piece, which you construct in such a way that it gives you a folded over ‘funnel’ neckline/facing, as well as a high/low hemline. 

I have to admit, I did frown a little when it came to sewing the facing, as I couldn’t quite work out the right way to fold it under and sew together, so I would recommend making sure you get your point turning as sharp as you can so there is no puckering when you fold it over! 

Other than that you literally sew the sides together and fold-over hem the armholes and hemline. I think this hands down goes into the record books for the quickest make ever – I had it cut and made in just over an hour (which also included a biscuit break may I add!)  

As I choose the largest size (more about sizing in a moment) I did have to cut the back piece in two and join rather than cut on the fold in order to get it to fit on the fabric I had, but having to do that  doesn’t bother me, and I would rather do this to avoid wasting material and be able to get my pattern out of what I have!

It’s such a great pattern for those of you who like tops you can tuck into jeans/trousers/skirts, and I would definitely make up a few more to wear as basic layering tops now that it’s colder. Despite its simplicity, I do have a few comments about the pattern:

• Sizing. Tamlyn did warn me that the sizing isn’t as inclusive as their current patterns, and I actually had to purchase this pdf from The Foldline rather than directly, as Friday Pattern Company don’t have it available on their website because of it. I have been assured that they will be re-releasing it in a larger size bracket, which is great. As mentioned, I made the large (which is the largest size available) and although it fits in the body, after wearing it for a few hours I did notice I had quite a bit of ‘sideboob’ going on, and not sure how I feel about it! It is fitted on me, which I’m happy with, but I wonder if a larger size would eliminate that issue?
• The length. It is very long on me, coming down to below my crotch, so as I would prefer to wear this style tucked into jeans I would definitely recommend shortening it (especially as the jersey will also stretch).
• Armhole hemming. I realised I haven’t actually hemmed a sleeveless jersey garment before, and found this more difficult than I thought I would! The fabric moved around quite a bit, so perhaps I would use a binding instead next time?

Saying that, it is a great, speedy make perfect for using 1m or less of jersey fabric, and I love how it pairs with the purple print – I actually think it looks quite ‘dressed up’, which I wouldn’t have usually considered a knit fabric to do. A mini-box win from me!