Bonn Top by Itch to Stitch

I'm always on the hunt for a good woven top. Knit fabrics are so darn comfortable that I end up wearing my tees most days. Easy to sew, don't need ironing. There's a lot to love there. But there are so many lovely woven fabrics. I get seduced by the prints and the colors. The trick is to find a few patterns that are not too finicky to sew and that give you a fit that lets you move without hulking out of your seams.

I'm thinking that the Bonn top from Itch to Stitch fits right in that category. The sleeve cap is shaped, which is probably why I have such a great range of motion in the finished top. I could row a boat to Alcatraz Island and not feel constrained.

Even though the sleeve cap has some height I was able to put the sleeves in flat. The nice drafting and the 3/8 inch seam allowances made that possible. For which I was very happy, because I do not enjoy installing sleeves in the round.

Used PDF Plotting.com to print out the pattern. I don't really mind taping and tracing PDF patterns, but I hate printing them out. Our home printer is kind of hinky, and printing out a bunch of pages is always an ordeal. PDF Plotting was easy to use and they delivered my pattern in 3 days. It added a bit to the cost of the project, but for a pattern with lots of pages it's worth it in my book.

I made the size 4 for my 35ish inch bust. I was a bit worried that the finished top might be too snug, but it's just about perfect.

Used an eggplant cotton fabric that I'm pretty sure I bought at Stone Mountain in Berkeley. I love the color, but the hand is a bit crisp, kind of like onion skin. I think it worked out fine, but next time I'll use something a bit softer.

The instructions were great and everything came together easily. The mandarin collar was the only finicky bit of sewing and the instructions walked me though that nicely.

I made the top up just as instructed. The only change I made was to do a pleat to fit the sleeve into the cuff instead of gathering. I pretty much suck at sewing even gathers and the pleat looks pretty neat.

I really like the mandarin collar and the cute V-neck. I did the 3/4 length sleeves, which ended up being more bracelet length on my short-person arms. Next time I'd shorten them by an inch or so. The pattern includes 3 other sleeve options though; maybe I'll do the short sleeves next time for a casual summer top.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.