Sawtell top
The Sawtell top is a sophisticated and versatile wardrobe staple with a range of design details that will appeal to the sewist who is seeking to expand their sewing techniques and skills.
Garment Details
Featuring an inset placket with pleats and bust darts, the Sawtell top finishes at the hip. It has a yoke and box pleat in the back and a wide hem. The neckline is finished with bias binding.
Designed with longevity in mind, the Sawtell top comes with four sleeve options - straight, gathered, flared sleeve and a fun dropped gathered sleeve. With these sleeves in your pattern stash (and our guidance in the accompanying Mix and Match Kit and additional Sawtell top Fit Kit) you’ll be able to make lots of different Sawtell tops, add the sleeves (or placket variation!) to the Sawtell dress pattern or another pattern in your stash!
This pattern will teach you some fun new sewing skills such as: sewing pleats, attaching a yoke, sewing an inset placket, sewing bias binding and setting in sleeves.
Please note:
- The images of Emily wearing the white seersucker top show how the Sawtell top and dress pattern can be combined. The neckline shown is part of the Sawtell dress pattern. The sleeves are part of the Sawtell top pattern.
Sawtell top Fit Kit (additional purchase)
We’ve created a jam-packed Fit Kit as an additional resource that covers pattern alterations for common fit issues and some fun ways to adapt sleeves to fit your preferences.
Although we’ve designed the Fit Kit to work alongside the Sawtell top, you will be able to refer to it long into the future when you are working on other projects. We even show you how you can use the Sawtell sleeves on other patterns!
Please note: This listing is for a digital pattern and resource only.
Have you seen our Sawtell dress pattern too? Purchase the Sawtell dress and top patterns, plus the supporting Fit Kits in a discounted bundle for only $50. That's a saving of $38!
Suggested Fabrics
The Sawtell top is compatible with light to medium weight fabrics such as: linen, linen blends, cotton and lightweight denim. If you would like to use something lightweight, such as viscose / rayon or silk, consider fusing the placket pieces for additional stability.
Keep in mind that the weight of the fabric will determine the amount of structure in the finished garment. Softer fabrics will give the garment drape and movement, while stiffer fabrics will create a more voluminous and structured silhouette.
Fabric requirements and finished garment measurements can be found here.
Notions
Views A, B & D
- Coordinating thread
- 1m (1.1yd) x 32mm (1¼ in) single fold bias tape
View C
- Coordinating thread
- 1m (1.1yd) x 32mm (1¼ in) single fold bias tape
- 0.2m (0.25yd) x light to mid-weight fusible interfacing
Sizing
The pattern is available in sizes A - J (drafted for a B sewing cup size) and G - P (drafted for a D sewing cup size). Our size charts can be found here.
The Sawtell top is designed to be loose and boxy in shape, with subtle shaping through the top of the side seam and bust darts. There is also considerable ease at the waist and hips, so keep this in mind when selecting a size. More details related to fitting the Sawtell top and making a toile can be found in the Fit Kit that is available as an additional purchase.
Fabric requirements and finished garment measurements can be found here.
Pattern includes seam allowances.
Difficulty
The pattern is placed at a Level 3 on the In the Folds pattern skill scale, which means you feel confident with the basics and are ready for new challenges
By working through this pattern, you will gain confidence in: sewing darts, sewing an inset placket, binding a neckline, sewing a yoke using the burrito method, stitching in the ditch, sewing pleats and sewing inset sleeves.
Digital product details
The pattern is suitable for printing on both A4 and US letter sized paper. A copy shop version is also included in the file (A0 or US 36" x 48").
Size A-J
Print at home pattern: 66 pages (a printing plan is included in the instructions so that you can choose to only print the pages you need for your size and chosen view).
Print shop version: 5 x A0 pages (This includes all sleeve options. You may choose just to print the sleeve option/s you plan to use).
Size G-P
Print at home pattern: 71 pages (a printing plan is included in the instructions so that you can choose to only print the pages you need for your size).
Print shop version: 4 x A0 pages (This includes all sleeve options. You may choose just to print the sleeve option/s you plan to use).
The Sawtell top Fit Kit: 69 pages containing a broad range of patternmaking and fitting tutorials to help you through the process of fitting the Sawtell dress. Available as an additional purchase.
The pattern includes embedded layers. This means that you can select only the size/s you would like to print.
If you have any questions please see our FAQ and Digital Product Policy.
Thank you to our amazing model!
Thank you so much Sara (@fabric_scraps) for helping us photograph the Sawtell top in the extended size range.