Laura’s Nora Top
With this months Classic Box leopard pointelle fabric Laura made a Tilly and the Buttons Nora Top.
And just like that, we’re in a new year!
Many people are starting new hobbies (hopefully sewing is one of them!) so thought I’d make a classic staple that’s easy to make for any newbies out there.
Obviously when you’re looking for something nice and easy, you turn to the queen team – Tilly and the Buttons. The Nora top isn’t a new pattern, but it’s a classic slouchy tee that is perfect for beginners, or those who are new to sewing stretch fabrics.
Now, the fabric… all the heart eyes! I absolutely looooooooove pointelle fabric, but this is actually the first time I’ve sewn it. It usually comes in plain colours, so Hayley has got something special with this awesome leopard print… and here at Sew Hayley Jane, leopard print is a neutral!
The main characteristic of Pointelle fabric is the little holes in diamond formations throughout. With this in mind, I didn’t want to make something that was tight to the body, so something loose fitting like the Nora top is perfect.
The Nora top comes with several design options however I went with the basic round neck, elbow sleeves and cropped, stepped hem. Personally, I don’t like things too close on my neck so the funnel neck version was discarded; and I know I’ll be most likely wearing this French-tucked so the stepped version was perfect.
For a bit of contrast, I used some black ribbing from my stash for the neckband.
It is a breeze to cut out and sew with only 4 pieces. You can choose to sew it all on an overlocker, but I prefer to sew on my machine with the “lightning bolt” zig-sag stitch.
The top version that I made only needed around 1.5 metres of fabric, so I’ve probably got about enough to make a pair of pyjama shorts or something… maybe for when the weather is a bit warmer!
I don’t really sew with knit/jersey fabrics all that often, but Hayley has a great video on her YouTube channel that gives some great tips on how to sew a jersey neckband which was a saviour. I ended up chopping about an inch or so off my neckband piece.
The split hem is easy to do, just make sure you press really well to get crisp lines and keep it as flat as possible when sewing around the edge. Mine went a bit wobbly but I wasn’t mad enough to unpick the teeny zig-zag stitches.
With the casual style of the top, I opted to leave the sleeves unhemmed for a more “undone” look.
When I first tried it on, my immediate thought was, dang, that’s short! Could have probably done with maybe an extra inch and it would be perfect. Oh well, I know for next time.
In my photos I have teamed with another Tilly and the Buttons pattern which is the Ness Skirt and I love how it goes together. It’s super casual but still looks quite dressy thanks to the gorgeous pointelle fabric.