My Day Tripper Top

I love everything about this top! It turned out nothing like I’d planned, but I’m practically living in it so obviously it worked out great!

The Day Tripper Top has been in my pile of “patterns to make” for a long time. I got the top as part of the Just Add Jeans Collection from Pattern Anthology. I rediscovered it a few weeks ago while reorganizing my patterns (and realizing how many I’d been hoarding that needed to be made!).

My goal was to try to replicate this version (with the fabric I had on hand):

Originally I had planned to include the shoulder tabs – I had even bought some cute buttons for it, but completely skipped over the part of the instructions where I was supposed to jump ahead to add them. Oops.

I love pockets so I wanted to include them (and I did…at first). Because I cut the shortest version of the shirt (in an attempt to make a petite version), the pockets bunched up at the waistband and ultimately I ended up spending a lot of time with my seam ripper taking them out.

I also removed the waistband (which was purple to match the neckband) because the purple fabric I chose wasn’t as stretchy as it probably needed to be and made the waistband a little too fitted for my taste. Honestly, I don’t normally love the look of the fitted waist band (like pictured above) on me. It looks great on others (like on the model above!), but it’s not a look I’m any good at rockin’. So it actually worked out well to remove it.

For the bottom hem, I just did a regular ole tuck-and-sew (that’s completely made up and not a real method…as far as I know).

Removing the waistband made the shirt a little short, but it’s actually a great length for me (hits just below the waist of my pants…on anyone else that would be a crop top, but for me it works!).

I don’t normally love high-low hems, but this one is subtle like in the Date Night Dress so it’s just right!

I adore the look of the sleeve bands – I fell in love with sleeve bands when I tested Addie K’s Amenity pattern (which I highly recommend – that was possibly the quickest pattern I’ve ever sewn!) – for some reason I find them way easier than the tuck-and-sew for hemming.

For my Day Tripper Top, I used a floral knit that I found on clearance at my local Hancock Fabrics (it was super soft like a ponte, but light like jersey and not too stretchy, but stretchy enough. It was basically what knit dreams are made of). The purple knit was courtesy of my lovely (and mega-talented) friend, Addie, from the time I tested her Amenity pattern (I know I just said it, but let me say it again: I highly recommend that pattern! Especially with the cool weather approaching. It’s an easy, quick sew that would also make a great holiday gift for someone you like enough to sew clothes for).

Here’s proof of me enjoying my Day Tripper:

Oh – and – see those matching bags my sister & I are carrying? I’d love to tell you I made them, but I did not. Last year at Vintage Charlotte, I discovered Sans Maps and have been SO in love with my Chloe Messenger Bag. I let my sister borrow it a few months ago and she was smitten.

I plan to make many more versions of the Day Tripper Top so stay tuned!