Striped kimono sleeved top

Last February I had serious top envy after seeing Kathryn's gorgeous striped kimono sleeved top. As per usual, I wanted one exactly the same, but the pattern was from Burda which inevitably meant it went to the bottom of my sewing queue. I don't know about you, but a morning spent printing out twelfty sheets of paper and sellotaping them together, then adding a seam allowance is not my idea of fun. The printed sheets had been languishing in a cupboard for months on end, until my new found sewing-with-knits obsession had me hunting feverishly for them.  I gritted my teeth, put the pattern together and a few hours later, I had my very own kimono sleeved striped top. Hoorah!

Burda Striped Top 108A

Because the sleeves are incorporated into the front and back pieces, the top is ridiculously fast to make. Sadly, I only had one metre of striped jersey, so had to cut the back with a seam up the middle and the sleeves a little shorter. After cutting out, it probably took about half an hour to sew together the main body of the top and that included patiently matching stripes as I pinned the front and back together. I predict that with a plain or non-striped knit, this would take about half that time to sew. Finishing the neck probably took another hour… I originally added a neckline piece of self fabric, but seeing it in the mirror made me realise I didn't actually like the height of the neckline at all. I removed it, lowered the neckline slightly and added a strip of red bias binding.  My fabric is a cheap Goldhawk Road buy and is pretty stretchy and drapey, so the neckline is a bit looser than I'd like. Not loose enough for me to change it again though, I'm quite happy to wear it the way it is.

Apologies if this shot gives you a headache, it's almost impossible to photograph this fabric without creating a mad psychedelic effect

I really like the way the stripes look on the kimono sleeves

I made a Burda size 38 and it's a nice tight fit, which is what I was after. The length is very long though - when I originally tried it on it looked exactly like dresses I used to wear circa 1986 i.e. arse skimming. I'd have modelled it for you, but sadly didn't have a pair of waxed Doc Marten shoes handy to complete the look.  I'm particularly pleased with the chevron effect on the arms, which is a mixture of a bit of half hearted stripe matching and a lucky fluke.

If you're new to sewing with knits and want a fast, easy make, then this is a great pattern to build your confidence with. Talking of knits, my Peony-esque dress has been an astounding success. I've barely taken it off since I made it, and that was only to wash it! I definitely need to make another one, which is why I'm watching the letterbox like a hawk, waiting for the two knit dress patterns I ordered after my last post to arrive.  More details once they've been delivered and pawed over... x