I recently learned that the Greek independent pattern company AK Patterns names each of their patterns after a real sewist and shares a bit about that person in the pattern materials. How fun is that?! I was so thrilled to be selected to help test the Whitney, a wrap dress and top, not just because it is such a cute and feminine wrap, but because I adore my sewing friend Whitney. Whitney and I are both members of our local ASDP Chapter. She is always willing to help and is such an encouragement.

The Whitney is designed for knit fabrics making it very comfortable to wear and easy to fit. I made my Whitney wrap top out of a medium weight ponte knit knowing such a sturdy fabric would help the scallops keep their shape. In fact, I ended up not using any stabilizer in my scallops, ties, or facing  pieces because the fabric was so strong, and already quite heavy.


I found the pattern instructions for the Whitney very helpful and only made one slight adjustment when I sewed the scallops. Instead of using the drawing guide to outline the seamline on my scallops, I pinned the guide to the fabric and slowly sewed around the paper. After trimming, steaming, and using my clapper I love how they turned out.


My only critique is that when making this pattern again I would use ribbon for the interior ties. It was difficult for me to get the fabric ties turned inside out and sometimes I can see them through the exterior fabric.

Overall the Whitney top is a big win for me and my wardrobe. Made in a soft blush pink I plan to wear this most seasons, dressed up for work or down for casual date nights. The scallop feature makes this a pattern I would recommend for a moderate to advanced sewist.

fabric - $35
thread - from my stash
TOTAL: $47 value

I struggle to cut into beautiful and special fabric. I've been storing a few floral fabrics, like this English Garden floral rayon from Rifle Paper Company, for years. Thankfully, I'd already made a toile of the Chai tee and knew what adjustments I needed to make for the perfect final garment.

From my first make I learned that I needed to grade from a size small on the top half of the garment to a medium in the hips. I also learned that it was important to make sure the shoulder pleats point outward so they lay correctly over the bust.


This was a fast make and required very little fabric but, with only a yard of this gorgeous print, I was still short just a bit. Luckily I was able to find a coordinating fabric in my stash that could be used for the interior yoke pieces.

I love how this make turned out! The Chai tee is easy to style with slacks and a blazer for work or dark skinny jeans for a casual weekend look. And without any closures this soft rayon blouse is easy to wear too. I see many more Chai tees in my future!


Time estimate: 3 hours (including fabric cutting)
Size: small/medium
Material used: rayon, 1 yard, plus some extra!
Care instructions: machine wash, tumble dry low

Cost to make top:
pattern - pre-owned ($15 value)
fabric - gifted from Sweet Red Poppy, thank you! ($15 value)
thread - from my stash
Total: FREE ($30 value)