HotPatterns Sunshine Tops...Step by Step
I have found my "make it 10 times" Summer Top! This pattern fits and flatters so well, that I've already made two. The first, from heather gray Cotton/Lycra Jersey and the other from Cotton/Lycra Jersey print. The print version has an inset neckband made from lightweight Irish Linen.
HotPatterns #1071,
Weekender Sunshine Tops
The HotPatterns team has made 2 terrific descriptive videos about this pattern...here are the links:
SUNSHINE TOP VIDEO, Part 1
SUNSHINE TOP VIDEO, Part 2
Pattern Description from the envelope-
You won’t believe how much mileage you’ll get from these great tops until you make them yourself! These tops are designed for T-shirt or knit fabrics with a little stretch. Try beading the neckband or add beads to the tunic drawstring for a pretty look. Relaxed, scoop-neck Tops are gathered onto a deep neckband at the front ...mix & match lengths & sleeve styles for your perfect top. Tank is sleeveless with a ribbed hip band, T-shirt has cap sleeves and finishes at the lower hip, and Tunic has short sleeves and applied drawstring casing. Try these lovely tops with simple pants, skirts or shorts, under your favorite jackets or cardigans, or team them with your jeans for a great casual outfit.
1. Interface wrong side of one set of the neckbands, then stitch their shoulder seams. You now have a set of neckline bands...The Interfaced Under-Band, and the Upper-Band.
HotPatterns #1071,Weekender Sunshine Tops
The HotPatterns team has made 2 terrific descriptive videos about this pattern...here are the links:
SUNSHINE TOP VIDEO, Part 1
SUNSHINE TOP VIDEO, Part 2
Pattern Description from the envelope-
You won’t believe how much mileage you’ll get from these great tops until you make them yourself! These tops are designed for T-shirt or knit fabrics with a little stretch. Try beading the neckband or add beads to the tunic drawstring for a pretty look. Relaxed, scoop-neck Tops are gathered onto a deep neckband at the front ...mix & match lengths & sleeve styles for your perfect top. Tank is sleeveless with a ribbed hip band, T-shirt has cap sleeves and finishes at the lower hip, and Tunic has short sleeves and applied drawstring casing. Try these lovely tops with simple pants, skirts or shorts, under your favorite jackets or cardigans, or team them with your jeans for a great casual outfit.
This a very easy pattern to construct. However, I've seen some questions about it on various sewing forums, so I took pics of the sewing sequence as I constructed the first top:
2. Place the bands RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER, and stitch the inner circle. Then clip the curve. Now you have ONE Neckline Band.
3. Under-stitch the the seam allowances to the Interfaced side of the Neckline Band.
4. Match the edges of the Neckline Band, WRONG SIDES TOGETHER, and press.
5. Sew the front bodice pieces Right Sides Together at the shoulder seams. Gather the front neckline between the notches.
6. Match the RIGHT side of the Neck-Band to the RIGHT side of the neck opening, matching the notches and adjusting the gathers as needed. Stitch the Neck-Band to the shirt through all layers.
7. This is what the sewn neckline of the Sunshine Top will look like from the Right Side.
8. The last steps are attaching the sleeves and stitching the side seams and hems as you would with any simple top or T-shirt.
SEWING NOTES: Pattern from HotPatterns, Pro-Sheer Elegance Interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply, Fabric from my stash.
Labels: Collars, HotPatterns, INTERFACING, Professional Sewing Supplies, Sewing Tutorials
30 Comments:
Wow! What great tops and thanks for adding the tutorial on the neckband!
Love these tops Pam !
Beautiful tops....
I love your versions of this top!
I love your two tops Pam, very nice style :-) The tutorial was very helpful.
Great tops, thanks for the tutorial.
very cute pattern!
Great tops, Pam. One question -- did you stitch or serge the neckband to the shirt?
Thanks!
Martha, on the first one of this style I made, I stitched, then serge-finished the neckband. On the print one, I was confident enough just to serge it on :)
Another great Hot Pattern! Thank you for the tutorial.
Those are beautiful Pam. Thanks for the great tutorial!
Ann
Nice tutorial - you've broken it down so that it looks easy and manageable! Those tops look easy to wear and perfect for summer, too.
I love these tops! This pattern has been a summer staple for me for several years.
Pam,
Thank you so much for sharing. I have a question on the depth of the scoop neck. Watching the Hot Patterns tutorial it looked like the top was quite low cut. How difficult would it be to raise the neckline? I have a shallow / hollow upper chest and small bust. Low cut is not for me.
Pam,
Thanks for sharing. I'm wondering how low cut the top is. Watching the Hot Patterns video clips it looked like the garment was fairly low cut. I'm thinking this would not be so easy to change. I have a shallow / hollow upper chest and small bust. Low cut is not very flattering for me.
Kathy, on the second top I made (the one with the white collar), I made the band wider by adding about 1/2" to the INNER curve of the band to fill it in a little. The top as is, is not TOO low-cut, but I wanted the second top to be "Bend-Over in the Supermarket" safe, LOL!
Very nice tops. I must look into getting this pattern. Thanks for the tutorial!
Perfect summer top, thanks for sharing!
Nancy
If one has a fuller bust, do you think it would make sense to spread out the gathers in a wider arc so that some of the fullness would be over the bust? In other words, rather than concentrating the gathers toward the center of the neckband, what about spreading out the gathering notches to move some of the fullness toward the sides. I am thinking that more tradition FBAs, such as darts, wouldn't make sense with this design. Thanks for the great tutorial!
Yes, you can certainly spread out the gathers a little more along the neckband. Though I made one for a friend of mine who is quite large busted, and this top is like magic..it looks so good on her!
You may want to watch the videos that I linked to in the post. Trudy, the designer of the pattern has a larger bust, and talks about how this style flatters both large and small busts.
Hi, I don't know this pattern company - Hot Patterns - I like the top you made. Do these patterns have a lot of ease added to them? Thanks for the tutorial! Chantal
Thank you so much for your tutorial. I just made my first weekender T-shirt and it went together beautifully thanks to you. I also love your idea of making the neckband/yoke out of a different fabric.
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I had bought this pattern and being a somewhat novice seamstress I needed more instructions than those that came with the pattern. I actually had already made 2 very bad versions of this before I found your tutorial, my 3rd one came out great! Thanks so much! --Toni
Okay Pam, now I'm nuts about yet another HP pattern. I absolutely *love* what you've done with the neckline band--deepening it to make it a little higher. I've been love with this look ever since I saw Nina Garcia's taupe-colored top with a bead encrusted neckline that she wore on Project Runway (a couple of seasons ago--it may have been sequined, don't remember for sure). Your alteration approaches that look, and for me really makes it 'pop'. Nina's top's neckband shape was actually more like McCall's 5659 which was deeper yet, but that little bit that you've done for the sunshine top is just great!
Your gray version (another post) was so appealing, I ordered the pattern. But this pattern, like others I've gotten from Hot Patterns, has one very frustrating aspect: no notches! The instructions refer to various notches; even your tutorial refers to notches. But there aren't any on the pattern pieces.
Argh, never mind me -- I found them. (Could they be any paler?)
I saw that pattern on hotpatterns.com and thought it would be a great staple for my wardrobe - I love what you've done and thanks for posting the pictures and instructions!
I'm a new sewer but I have a class coming up on knits so I think the Sunshine Top will be my first project - I'll surely refer back to this post, thanks again!
Thank you for writing this tutorial! I remember reading it when you wrote it last year and I filed it away (mentally) for when I needed it. Well, tonight I was puzzling over the pattern instructions and my brain was blocked. I stopped and looked online I found your tutorial! I'm assembling everything right now. Thanks!
Rose in SV
Dear Pam, Many thanks for the tutorial on the neckline of the Weekender Sunshine Top. It made it look so easy that I immediately jumped on it and without even consulting the pattern instructions, made my first top....straight out of the envelope because I wanted to see how the fit was and analyse if adjustments were needed.
Well, they were needed in the form of a full bust adjustment. I did what I would now describe as a partial adjustment....just opening the front in 2 places and made a second top. The fit was a little bit better but not much.
Now I am on to the third top and have once again chopped the pattern up and redone the fba. I am still not pleased with the top. I now have less gathering of fabric obove the bust/under the arm. It is still not what I would like it to be. My question....would you please list the steps you took for your fba, or even a few pictures would be very helpful. I will take it from there, my third piece of knit is already hanging from the back of a chair.
Would appreciate any assistance you are able to give. Thank you.
I really shouldn't type after an intake of red wine.....
Heather
Hi Heather,
Umm...I really cannot help you with a FBA on *any* patterns, because I have never had to do one ;)
So very sorry I cannot help :(
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