By now you’ve figured out that I’ve only just started blogging what I sewed in January.  I really don’t want to let my blog lapse, for about a million reasons, and I won’t ever stop blogging, but sometimes it just takes a little more effort than I can find in me.  I started a new job in February, and as with any new job it is a little exhausting learning new processes and procedures.  I’m lucky – I’m working alongside people I’ve worked with before, doing types of work that I’ve done in the past – but it still takes a while to get into the groove.  Much of the work is done remotely from home, and I’ve traded off a permanent job for an hourly rate with flexibility (yay for having every school holidays with the girls). Overall it’s great, but I’m still in the early days of adapting to change.

One of the first things that I sewed for the year was the Papercut Patterns Pinnacle top. I bought the pdf pattern when it was on sale – I consider Papercut Patterns, like Named patterns, to be very expensive, and as a consequence I don’t own or sew many of their patterns. There was a lot that appealed to me about this one, and I admit that I was probably influenced by the number I’d already seen popping up on Instagram. My purchase was also influenced by the number of options – it can be sewn as a knit sweatshirt as well as a woven top, there are a couple of sleeve lengths, and there are two neckline options. I also really wanted to check out the construction and the shape of the pattern pieces.

So, to start. Sizing. I sewed straight size Small, despite measuring the Medium. And have you noticed something else in the two photos I’ve already posted? The second one (immediately above this paragraph) is the pattern exactly as drafted. See how long this top is(n’t)? I am only 158cm tall, and I have a short torso. This top really is designed for high waist bottoms or for those who feel much better about their bellies than I do.

So, what to do? I knew that I was unlikely to wear this top at this length. I rifled through my scraps – and there weren’t many – and managed to cut a band to add to the bottom. So that’s what I did! The width of the band was entirely dictated by the amount of fabric I had left. I think it added about 5cm to the length overall.

Oh, it’s looking crumpled in these photos! I really like this printed cotton/linen that my friend Kathryn gave me – it was lovely to work with and the print is subtle yet defined.  However, it obscures the lovely design lines.  It’s really worth sewing this pattern in a solid – which will definitely happen at some stage.

The fronts and the backs are cut in one – there is no shoulder seam. So there is a centre back seam, and by the time you get to sewing front fronts to the centre front inset, the fronts are on the bias. It’s interesting drafting! You really do need to pay attention when sewing the fronts so that you get the point nice and neat. It’s helpful if you’ve done patchwork in the past! You really do need the line diagram to have a better appreciation of the pattern.

I sewed variation 1 with the shorter sleeve option, in a woven.  I’m going to try variation 3 in a knit at some stage for winter, but will need to think hard about whether it will need lengthening or whether the bottom band in the pattern will be enough.  In regard to the V neckline – it’s a deep V, but I found it quite wearable.  However, that will depend a bit on the distance of your shoulder to bust point.  I have noticed that many people have raised the V, so take note of that if you are planning to sew this and prefer not to have a deep neckline.  I imagine that it also depends a bit on what type of bra you wear under it.  I am a boring beige cotton bra wearer, and it didn’t expose the bridge of my bra but certainly came down very close to it.

Hopefully if you zoom in on that photo you can see the seamlines a little better! The neckline facing is also stitched in place from one angled front seam around the neckline to the other angled front seam. There’s actually lots that I like about this pattern. It is simple – there are very few pattern pieces – but it’s clever. It is designed to be oversized, so choose the size that you want to sew taking the design ease and your own preferences into account. Consider the finished length, and the depth of the V neckline. Or just launch in, like I did, then adapt as needed!