Breton Perfection: The Gable Top

I know it's a bold claim, but I think I may have made the perfect basic knit top. I actually made this at the beginning of summer, but it's been so warm that I've only worn it once so far. But now that Autumn and long-sleeves weather is just round the corner, I felt it's time to share it with you...

Pattern:

It could be argued (and often is by me) that Jennifer Lauren's Bronte top pattern is the best knit top pattern ever. Well, hold all your calls, because her Gable top pattern is clearly another contender for that title. It has a 50's style slash neckline that I didn't realise I needed in my wardrobe until Jennifer released this pattern. She really is so skilled at making vintage/retro stylings super wearable.

(image source: Jennifer Lauren Handmade)

By comparing my (well-used) Bronte top pattern pieces, for which I use the straight size 12, I was able to ascertain that for the Gable I would need the size 10 at the top and blending to the size 12 at the waist and hips. I also pinched out a couple of centimetres at the waist to account for my short-waisted-ness. When I tried it on, I found the shape slightly too boxy for my personal preference, so I shaved away at the sleeve and side seams here and there with my overlocker until I was happy with the fit. What I'll probably do for future versions is make a Frankenstein Bronte/Gable using the neckline of the latter with the sleeve and side seam shaping of the former.

Fabric:

As Jennifer's versions prove, this pattern is kind of screaming out to be made in stripes. Now I can't pretend that my wardrobe was a stripe-free zone before I made this, but the recent demise of my slinky Breton top, and my striped maternity top being too stretched out to bother reworking, meant that a new Breton top would be a welcome addition. After a lot of searching, I finally found this lovely medium-weight cotton/lycra blend jersey at the Ditto fabrics warehouse closing down sale/Portslade sewing meetup in April. It has enough body to keep that neckline in shape, but the lycra content means it has excellent stretch and recovery so is super comfy to wear.

I also want to show you the back neck label (Gable-label!) that I added. It's a folded over piece of printed grosgrain that was lurking in my stash. I have no idea where it came from, otherwise I'd go back to its source and buy up their whole supply so I could add these to everything I ever sew.

Thoughts:

The presence of this top is making the thought of cooler weather acceptable to me. I'm looking forward to incorporating it into different outfits, and I've got a couple of other garment projects in the pipeline that I'm hoping will pair with it well. If you're looking for anymore reason to try the Gable top pattern, then check out Jane Makes's wonderful (non-stripy) versions.