Jennifer Lauren Handmade Bronte Top

Hi All!! Hope you are well! It’s super windy here in the UK!

I had some left over Black and White Textured Rose Print Jersey which is still on sale over at Sew Crafty Shop at just £3.41 per Half metre and its 140cm Wide, Boom!

I needed a nice Smart Top for an Job Interview and It was the Day before and i had a Panic Moment!!

Now looking through ‘Stash’ of Free Printed Patterns from Magazines…..I had plenty of New Look/Simplicity that was classed as ‘Smart’ Tops but to me they seemed dated and frumpy to me.

So i thought I’d look through my PDF Collection and for some reason I haven’t got round to making The Bronte by Jennifer Lauren Handmade before!!

Thankfully with Jennifer’s Patterns, she tells you which pages you need to print for which version your making rather than printing the full documents! Yas!

Upon Printing and sticking my sheets together i noticed that the Top came a little shorter than i wanted it to sit so i just lengthen it by 2 inches so it sat on my Hips and made the Long Sleeves into 3 Quarter, I am a bad un…whenever I do have Long Sleeves, i always roll them anyways so it made sense not to waste the pretty fabric!

I cut out a size 12 for the Shoulders and Bust and then graded to a Size 14 to the Waist and Hips for some comfort as it is a Smart Top, I didn’t want to be showing every Lumps and Bumps hahaha! Not forgetting to use my Oh Sew Quaint Fondant Fancy Pattern Weights!!

Now i ‘tooled’ up and got my Overlocker at the ready and my Twin Needle on my Singer Quantum Stylist 9960, which by is now my best friend for finishing hems on knits/jerseys!! Love it! As you long as you take your time to keep it straights its awesome!!

Now this is how i use my Pins when i’m using my Overlocker! I have been asked a few times what i do with mine, so here you go!

I whipped up this top in a morning i would say from printing and sticking to getting it all sewn together! Jennifer’s instructions are very Clear and with the lovely detail of the neckband you would of thought it would be more complicated then it is!

So I’m glad i whipped this up as i felt super confident in it and knowing i made it myself just given me that a little bit of a boost!

Guess What?!!! I got the job!!! I’ll be an Activity Co-coordinator for a Care home for Adults with learning difficulties, so it’ll be up to me to get them engaged with activities and plenty of fundraising for the Home too!! Exciting times as there is plenty of training and planning involved but it means i have my evenings and weekends back as it’s 9-3 Monday to Friday!

So what’s your Stitchy Plans this weekend?

Sal xx

11 Comments

  1. Congratulations on getting the job. I really like the neckband detailing.
    Quick q…did you use your overlocker for seams and finishing together, and which seam guide did you use? I really want to use mine better but not sure how to.

    1. Thanks Laura! I did use my overlocker for the majority of it, only used my Normal machine to baste the neckline and finish the hems using a twin needle. I set my overlocker to its smallest seam allowance for using both needles which is 5.7mm but I basically lined up the edge of the fabric to the edge of the plate and kept it straight from there. Hope that helps x

  2. A beautiful top; really like the fit and the contrasting neckline!

    1. Thanks celia

  3. Congratulations on getting the job, I hope all goes well. I love your top. x

    1. Thank you x

  4. Lynsey says:

    Congrats on the new job, sounds fab and fun and more sewing time! Your top is great, I’ve been looking at this pattern for ages but never brought it, I should! Love the black neckline, it really shows off crossed over bits.

    1. Oh you should it’s a fab top and not at all complicated x

  5. Jackey says:

    Congratulations on getting the job. It sounds fantastic and rewarding not to mention fabulous hours. The top looks great, love the edging. I have just started to learn to sew, something to aspire to. Small steps.

    1. Definitley jackey! I can’t wait to get started but lots of training days! It is rather simple top to do so get plenty of practice x

  6. […] recently made the Bronte Top and it fit was really good and her instructions are pretty easy to follow so i thought i’d […]

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