Ballard Top

Today I get to participate in my friend Kimberly’s Ballard Top pattern tour! Kimberly is a fellow Seattle-ite, and we were able to meet up over the summer, so it made sewing with her pattern extra fun. She also tested the Pretty in Peplum Pattern, and was such a great help.

The Ballard Top by Straight Stitch Designs is available exclusively at Indiesew right now, and is a perfect top for fall and winter.

I love that the design is flowy but not frumpy. Not everyone (ahem, me), can pull off wearing the oversized tops that are trendy right now, so I was excited to make a top that was both comfortable and stylish.

The open back design is not something I would normally gravitate toward, but I really love it!

Kimberly does an excellent job making professional and easy to follow patterns. It was an easy sew and the pattern had great illustrations and instructions, and also finished measurements which is always helpful when choosing what size to make.

I made the pattern exactly as is, and then realized I needed to take some length out. The top is designed to be quite long, and although I usually love long tops, it hit my hips in a less than flattering place for my body shape. The pattern has lengthen/shorten lines, but since I had already sewn the whole top, I had to improvise and take it off the bottom. The 4″ I took off changed the overlap at the bottom to be less than at the top (maybe I should have made use of the finished measurement chart ;)), but the fit was fantastic after that.

The fabric is a houndstooth hatchi knit I found at fabric.com. I ordered it on a whim a couple of weeks ago and it ended up being perfect for this project.

I have plans to make more! I want to try a version with the back stitched closed so I don’t need to layer it – it would be fun to do some print mixing too I think.

I loooved sewing this pattern up, and am so happy to have another staple in my wardrobe that I can dress up or down! And of course I need to add that although Kimberly sent the pattern over to me, all opinions are my own and genuine – it’s a fantastic pattern!