The frankie top

THE FRANKIE TOP

PACK INCLUDES

■ Pattern sheet x 1

■ Instruction sheet

YOU WILL NEED

■ Fabric:

Sizes 8-18: 1.55mx115cm or 1.55mx140cm Sizes 20-26: 2.35mx115cm or 1.74mx140cm

■ Fabric marker or sewing needle to mark on the darts

■ Matching thread

■ Basic sewing kit

NOTES

■ The top has a low-cut arm hole. Please raise the armhole according to the instructions if you don’t want it to be low cut.

■ The top is also slightly cropped, so consider lengthening it using the shorten/lengthen lines if cropped styles aren’t for you.

FABRICS USED

■ Linen slub from Sew me Sunshine (yellow).

■ Viscose Crepe from Atelier Brunette (leaf print).

■ Swiss dot cotton (mint).

RECOMMENDED FABRICS

■ Light to medium woven fabrics, for example viscose, cotton lawn, lightweight linen.

The Frankie Top pattern is designed by Vanessa Hansen. Browse the full collection at vanessahansenstudio.com

STITCHING TERMS

RS/WS: Right side(s)/wrong side(s) of the fabric. The right side usually has the print, design or texture and the wrong side is usually plain or duller in appearance.

Machine tack: Use a long stitch length to hold a section in place. Don’t backstitch at the start and end.

Finish the seams: Finish the raw edges with a zigzag stitch or an overlocker. Some sewing machines have specialist overcasting stitches that can also be used.

Press: Pressing fabric is placing the iron down holding it for a few seconds, lifting it and placing it down again. Ironing is the movement of sliding the iron back and forth to remove creases.

Understitch: Stitch close to the seam line usually on the side that will be on the inside of the garment such as the facing. This will hold the seam allowance in place.

Topstitch: Stitching usually from the right side of the garment to hold seam allowances in place or can be used for decorative purposes.

Toile: A test garment, often made from calico or muslin to check the fit or test a pattern before the real fabric is used. Known as a muslin in the US.

Stay stitching: Stay stitch to prevent a curved or bias-cut edge from stretching out of shape. Sew a straight seam, using 3mm stitch length, 7mm from the edge. The stitch can stay in. Try to prevent the fabric from stretching out while stay stitching.

Bag out: Bagging out means sewing the edge of the main fabric right sides together with a facing or lining piece, then turn wrong sides together and press the edge. Understitch or topstitch after.

For more sewi