I figure that most people reading this blog know that pattern companies re-use pattern numbers.  It’s often quite interest to see what images pop up when you google a pattern!  The first instance of Butterick 3224 is a 1920s jackets (boleros) pattern.  It pops up again in a 1970s top, dress and pants pattern.  Then you get the beauty that I recently sewed – the 1985 top and skirt version.

I was in year 12 in 1985, and that illustration on the left pretty much indicates my hair goals at the time. Lady Diana, what a style influence you had!  I was pretty sure that this pattern would work again in 2018.

View B is the longer version of the top, and finishes right at the waist. There was no way that I was going to wear a top cropped at that level, so I cut a band of fabric, sewed it into a tube, folded it in half wrong sides together, then sewed it to the bottom of the top. Hey presto, self-faced wide hemline.

Now I do need to let you laugh at me a little here, because I certainly laughed at myself. After constructing the shoulder seams and neckline, the next step was to sew front and back together at the side seams. Instead, I sewed the front to the front at one side seam, and the back to the back at the other. I held it up, felt extremely confused, then realised what I’d done! Out with the unpicker…

There was one other difficulty with this pattern – it turned out that there were no instructions in the envelope. Some assistance from friends on Instagram who had sewn the pattern or similar meant that I was able to puzzle out how to construct the neckline with the insets without too much trouble. The markings on the pattern pieces really were key to getting it right! I sewed size 14, and the fabric is linen.

The upper body is very roomy at size 14; but the bottom width, not so much. This is because it’s designed to hit at a cropped waistline – no need to fit over hips. If I wanted to make it longer again I’d need to alter it to swing out a bit more, or include side seam slits.

This was a fun sewing experiment, and I think that this top works quite nicely with my Style Arc Lola pants. I still haven’t quite decided whether it will stay or go though – I have other brown tops that I suspect I am likely to reach for before this one. Time will tell.