Tilly and the Buttons Agnes Top

If you’ve been dipping in and out of my blog posts for a while then it’s likely that you’re aware of my love for the Tilly and the Buttons sewing patterns. I’ve made a large majority of them – a mixture of the print patterns and the ones contained in the book, Love at First Stitch – but there are still a couple I’ve yet to try. So, for Christmas, my darling other half got me the Agnes top pattern plus some fab stripey jersey to make it with! He’s a keeper for sure.

The Agnes top is pretty much all about conquering your fears of sewing with jersey fabric. To be honest, I think I’d been avoiding jersey up until this point too, purely based on the scary stories you read online. The truth is that jersey is so, so easy to sew! You don’t need an overlocker or a fancy sewing machine foot – just a machine needle with a rounded tip (check this sewing machine needle guide out) and a zig-zig stitch setting. If you’ve got those already then you’re good to go.

The fabric I used for my first Agnes is this red and white striped jersey from the Fabric Godmother. The stripes are actually a more even size than the website photo shows, but I love it nonetheless! The fabric is made up of a mixture of cotton and spandex, which is what gives it the stretch needed for the Agnes top. Your aim is for the fabric to be ‘form fitting’ rather than loose. However, make sure you choose your material carefully! I actually made a second Agnes from some grey, striped jersey fabric but the amount of stretch just really wasn’t enough. I cut my pattern pieces the same size (since my first attempt went so well) but then found I could hardly get the top over my shoulders due to the lack of stretch! I’ve managed to re-cut the sleeves to fix the problem but do be warned… the more stretch/spandex/lycra in your fabric the better is the moral of the story.

The pattern for the Agnes top is a rather fun one to make. There aren’t many pattern pieces (2 arms, a front and a back) but I enjoyed seeing the neckline come together and stitching on the elastic to make the little bit of ruching on the front. The top comes together really quickly, too. I think I made mine in about 2 hours, including cutting out all the pieces!

I’ve seen a few other great Agnes tops around the internet – link me to yours if you’ve made one! And what do you think of mine? I think Tilly would love it!