Home Needles and Threads A cobalt blue Brisbane top

A cobalt blue Brisbane top

-a pattern by Itch to Stitch-

by Elsa

* This article may contain affiiate links.

T-shirts are staples, right? But they usually are plain. Here comes Brisbane* by Itch to Stitch*, a t-shirt with such a fun design and exceptional construction.

The front cut-out amazed me and the fabric was exactly what was needed, with its summer vibes.

Brisbane is not your typical t-shirt pattern

First the front cut-out is the focus.

Pattern meant for exclusively for knits, with the latter need to have enough stretch and recovery, because of the cut-out.

Brisbane* has all the features we love in Itch to Stitch’s newest patterns*:

  • Top or dress
  • US 00 to 40
  • Regular or full-bust
  • Layered PDF
  • Outstanding instructions

 

Contrary to sewing a ‘plain’ t-shirt, Brisbane* needs you to be more focussed at the cut-out stage. There are many steps and you MUST NOT stretch anything!

Do not miss transferring markings.

Have some lighweight knits for the top facing.

The blue Brisbane

This amazing jersey knit comes from a surprise bundle I bought from The Fabric Baron. The facing is powermesh used for bras…I had it in my stash and it worked perfectly well!

My first Brisbane* was sewn exclusively on my sewing machine, topstitching included. I probably stretched the front cut-out and it was just un-wearable. I don’t really know what went wrong first: I lowered the pressure of my pressure foot, used the Acuufeed (I have a Janome 6700P), etc.

I then switched to serger (Janome 744D) and coverstitch (Janome CPX 1000) and the cut-out looked much nicer.

I love the front of this t-shirt and the color is vibrant, screaming summer to me!

Kennis is a genius when it comes to drafting and instructions. I’m amazed at her many talents and it’s always a pleasure testing for her.

I did no alteration to this Brisbane top*, I just blended size 6 (bust and waist) to a size 8 for the hips.

Next time, I’ll modify it with my traditional alterations:

  • shortening the shoulder seam: I’ll show you how to do it easily when you have to deal with pieced shoulders.
  • lowering the shoulder slope: I know I need this alteration because you can see on some pictures that the back neckline rides up.
  • shortening the sleeves: this is personal preference, but I prefer my short sleeves to reach mid-biceps.

Here are some fabrics* from fabric dealers around the world that would work well for your Brisbane tops and dresses*. They need to have stretch, body, and recovery because of the cut-out.

2 comments

Nancy Z LECK 23 April 2022 - 0 h 16 min

This looks lovely on you . I assume the facing needs to be a lighter weight than the fashion fabric ?

Reply
Elsa 23 April 2022 - 8 h 50 min

Thank you! And yes, it’s better if it’s a lighter weight. However, you can use the main fabric as well, provided it’s not French terry or any heavy fabric.

Reply

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