Make It Perfect

I have a couple more Raglan Twist Tops to share with you today! And this isn’t the end of it…I’ve got 10 hanging in my wardrobe! 

These are two of the first Raglan Twist Tops I made and they have been perfect for cool weather wear. The mustard and white striped fabric is this french terry from fabric.com. It’s a poly-cotton blend so I didn’t expect it to be very nice, but it is actually a decent fabric. Has pilled a little under the arms after a month or so of wearing but not too bad. I’ve come to the realisation that it is close to impossible to match side seam stripes when sewing the Raglan Twist Top – so if you can’t handle un-matched stripes then give striped fabric a miss with this one! It doesn’t really bother me too much though, so I’m rocking the wonky stripe look…the general public won’t mind, only sewers notice these fine details anyway! I really like the way this fabric works with the Raglan Twist Top though, it has a soft drape which helps it to fall nicely. I finished all of the hems with a regular fold-under hemline secured with a twin needle stitch. 

The dark blue top is made using a Lillestoff glitter sweat knit from Crafty Mamas. I love European knits so knew that I would love this fabric, I think the dark blue is sold out but here it is in another colourway. This sweater knit is gorgeous to wear – soft and bulky and not itchy at all resulting in a super cosy sweater. The only thing it lacks (like most bulky sweater knits) is a really good recovery. You can see that the top isn’t as snug fitting as the ones I’ve previously shared, not a bad thing, but a good illustration as to how all knits behave and look differently when sewn up. Because of the lack of recovery, the neckline sits slightly wider as there isn’t as much elasticity in the fabric to pull it back in. I don’t mind this at all, but would think about narrowing the neckline in slightly when I sew this top with a bulky, less stretchy knit again.

I finished the sleeve hems using a fold-under hem, but in order to retain the shape of the curved hem I sewed a contrasting navy blue jersey hemband to the bottom of this one. I tried just folding the hem under but no matter how much steam I applied or what I tried to do, it kept ending up all wavy and flipping outwards due to the lack of recovery in the fabric. The Raglan Twist Top includes instructions and pattern pieces to finish the hems with either fold-under hems or bands so there is plenty of choice depending on what fabric you are using and what look you want to achieve.

The Raglan Twist Top isn’t just for cold-weather wear. This versatile pattern includes options for long, 3/4 or short sleeve lengths so is a great wardrobe staple. Remember to grab your copy of the pattern at a discount of 20% if you purchase before Saturday night!

It’s fun to mix things up now and again, so we’ve put our twist on the classic raglan top.

Playful twisted side seams, extending to the front of the top give the Raglan Twist Top a super-flattering shape making it easy to wear for every body size.

With short, three-quarter or full-length sleeve options you can decide whether to finish the sleeves by adding cuffs or simply turning-up the sleeve hems.

The curved back hem and slight-bell shaped silhouette flatters your figure so cleverly that you’ll want to wear it with everything.

Experiment with different colour and pattern combinations, throw on with skinny jeans or a straight skirt and the Raglan Twist Top will fast become your new go-to!
When it comes to sewing clothes for myself I’m always looking for style with comfort-factor. I figure if I’m going to put in the effort to sew myself something, it needs to be comfortable or else I’m not likely to wear it as much. The newest pattern to join the Make It Perfect collection is the Raglan Twist Top – an extremely comfortable raglan-style top with a clever twist.

The Raglan Twist Top is as comfy as your favourite sweatshirt, but with classy shape and style to not only flatter your body shape, but to make it just a little more sophisticated enabling you to wear it out and about with confidence. I’ve been living in my selection of Raglan Twist Tops since starting to design this pattern a couple of months ago. With a choice of short, 3/4 and long sleeves you can wear this pattern through all seasons and create an wardrobe of Raglan Twist Tops to keep you going!

When it comes to fabric choice for the Raglan Twist Top, the pattern is designed for use with stretchy knit fabrics. From my experience with the pattern, I’ve found that I prefer using jersey or french terry knits that have a really good recovery and a soft but heavy drape. The pattern includes a couple of different options for finishing the hems on your tops too…you can either fold the hem up and sew down using a stretch stitch (lots of options included in the pattern!) or you can finish all of the hems using sleeve cuffs and a hemband around the bottom hem for those of you who are a little daunted by hemming knit fabrics or simply like the look of a cuff.

One of my favourite features of the Raglan Twist Top is the dramatic scooped back hem. I love the slight bell-shape that the hem gives when combined with the twisted side seam. It feels pretty and feminine and is practical for all of the bending down and running around Mum-duties that other tops may restrict! The dramatic twisted side seam also allows you to play around with mixing and matching different colours, prints and patterns to create one-of-a-kind tops you won’t find anywhere else.

If you are looking for a super fast sew, then try out the Raglan Twist Top – I guarantee you will love this addition to your wardrobe!

I hope you are as excited about this new pattern as I am! I have plenty more versions to share with you over the next little while and can’t wait to see what you create with this pattern.

In the meantime, you can see and read more about the Raglan Twist Top in the store and the pattern will be on sale at 20% off until 10pm Saturday 1st October (AEST) – no coupon required!

(Wholesalers wishing to stock this pattern in their stores can contact my distributors here.)