Do you ever make something and just know that you’ll remember exactly where you were and what was going on in your life when you sewed it? Just me? OK. LOL.
Well, that’s the case for this Love Notions Cadence Top. I sewed it during Sew Expo to help teach almost 30 students how to make one for themselves!
Before we get too far into the details of this make, I want to call your attention to this incredible jewelry I am wearing. This is another set from my go-to jeweler, Ana Luisa! I love this brand so much because of their sustainability mission - they are carbon neutral, ya’ll! That means they offset 100% of their carbon emissions, staring with the sourcing of their raw materials all the way to the disposal of their pieces. In addition, there’s no luxury markups so the jewelry — which is great quality, i might add — is fairly priced. The necklace is $99, the earrings are $75, and this ring — which I’m obsessed with — is just $39! There really is something for every person’s style and budget.
They release new pieces all the time and if you see something you like you have to act quick because they do sell out. They are right in line with all the trends offering pieces that can be easily layered like these necklaces. They have the rings that can be stacked and layered, too. And, I was **this close** to getting one of these ear cuffs. How cool are they? Also, be sure to check out the “last chance” section to see what’s on sale. They reduce prices on these items up to 34%.
Of course, my code INSIDETHEHEM10, is still available for you guys. It will get you 10% off your entire Ana Luisa order. They also have free shipping for US customers. Head to the link in the description box to check out their designs. I know you’ll love them!
Back to the top! Because I used it to teach a class, I spent so much time with every single detail of this top — namely under stitching and setting in the sleeves. In a way, it’s made me appreciate those details even more. I have always loved under stitching but slowing down to hyper focus on every aspect of it really made me appreciate its’ magic.
Also, after teaching a couple dozen people how to sew this and seeing it come together on a range of different body types, I can tell you this pattern is drafted really well. There were some concerns about the dart length and location but A) those things are really easy to fix and B) I think there’s this notion that a dart should extend all the way to the apex and that’s just not true. If the dart is shaped well, it can end as much as 2” inside your apex. The only point of a dart is to create space for a breast and it doesn’t have to extend to the apex to do that.
And, would you believe that I learned something while making this pattern, too!
One thing that I would change about the pattern drafting is the hem width. I think this is a common issue for patterns where there is both a top length and dress length using the same pattern pieces. A dress would require more ease at the hip than a top would and I didn’t account for that when I graded the hip. In reality I could easily size down at the hip and have plenty of ease at the hem. The top doesn’t extend to the full hip, so anytime you’re making a top that also has a dress length option, I’d use your high hip measurement instead for a narrower hem.
The fabric I used is a washed crinkle cotton from style maker fabrics. It comes in 9 different colors. This one is called citron and it looks so pretty with my Ana Luisa jewelry, right? It’s more of a mid-weight, 100% cotton, with a really great texture. In addition to this top, it would be great for the dress version, or even an elastic waist skirt or pair of shorts. It’s really versatile and because it’s cotton it’s also easy to sew and care for which is why I chose it for my class!
So, there you have it, my cadence top or as I’ll refer to it, my Expo top! Don’t forget to check the description box for a link to my jewelry and use the code for 10% off!
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