Vogue 9028: A Comfortable Top

Vogue 9028, circa 2014, is a somewhat recent addition to my pattern collection. It happened this past summer when Fabricland was selling off Vogue patterns for $5.00 after a shipment came in from another province. Otherwise, I would have overlooked this pattern. At 40% off (with a membership discount) a $29.95 (Cdn $) pattern, I didn't think it was worth the expensive for a basic top. At five dollars, I was willing to pick up a pattern that I wasn't sure about and give it a try.     

And I'm glad that I did. This is a really comfortable top and I really like how the shoulder seam is cut. It is loose-fitting, I like that as it is easy to move in. 

I work in at a job that has a "professional dress code" yet my job is physical and messy. I sweep, kneel, get sneezed on, and sometimes worse. It is just difficult to find something that fits the criteria with the reality of my job. I wish our dress code would be classified as "smart casual" but it's not, so my fingers are crossed that I can get away with this top as part of my work wear rotation. Maybe dress it up with a skirt? To make it "work ready," I added pockets to the front. They are big enough to hold keys and other necessities. 

Other than adding pockets, I changed the neckline. Instead of choosing one of the collar variations offered in this pattern, I used Knit-N-Stitch™ fusible tape around the neckline, single-folded the edge down and stitched with the stem stitch. Knit-N-Stitch™ fusible tape was also used for all of the hem finishes. Dictated by the quantity of fabric, I removed the back centre seam and omitted the back zipper. Thankfully it worked out fine and I found the zipper to be an unnecessary detail as it is easily a pullover top. If I make another one (highly likely), I would like to cut the sleeve cap and armhole two sizes smaller to see if I can get the armhole seam to sit closer to my shoulder. I cut the top out as a size 14. 

The fabric was a remnant find at Fabricland, it was unlabeled but it appears to be a cotton knit. Pink is not typically a colour that I'm drawn to but this fabric made it home because it was quite the deal and I do like the print. It was pretreated with a tumble through the washing machine and dryer. The seams were sewn with the stem stitch (also known as the knit or lightning bolt stitch) with the exception of the pockets where I used a basic straight stitch, back stitch and locking stitch.  

The Stats:  

Fabric:  1.4 metres 

Fusible Tape:  1.5 metres

Pattern:  Vogue 9028

Time:  I invested 3.5 hours into the preparation of the fabric and the construction of this top.

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Sewing machine, walking foot, serger, tweezers, thread clippers, cutting table, scissors, pins, steam iron, ironing board, measuring tape and some good music with some stretching breaks thrown in.  

Happy Sewing!