Never in my life have I snatched up a PDF pattern as quickly as I snatched up the Brigitte top by Tessuti Fabrics! The minute this thing came across my feed, I was like, "Done. Buying it!" And buy it, I did. I have been looking for a ready-to-wear shirt just like this for ages - one with the perfect shape and fit...and that doesn't break the bank. So when I spotted this panel stripe fabric a few months ago, I bought it even though I didn't have a pattern in mind yet. I figured I would just make one myself if the right one didn't come along.
Lucky for me, Tessuti Fabrics read my mind with this pattern - boat neck, mildly fitted shape, 3/4-length sleeves (the pattern comes with short, half, 3/4 and long sleeves), every-so-slightly shaped hem. And I have sewn from a Tessuti pattern before and know they are high-quality.
Perfection.
You might be surprised to know that Tessuti patterns are hand-drawn since I'm such a supporter of digitized patterns. Hand-drawn lines aside, Tessuti patterns are some of the best I've worked with for their accurate drafting (proper seam allowances and turnbacks, good markings, etc.) and fit. Their design aesthetic also closely matches my own.
One thing I did notice is that there were a few completely blank and unneeded pages when I printed the pattern. My guess is that they simply took the copy shop version and tiled that for printing at home without re-laying out the pieces. No worries, but you should definitely look a the tiles before you print if you want to save a few sheets of paper.
Using the size chart included with the pattern, I selected a size 10 which fit my 34-26-36 measurements pretty much perfectly. The fit is pretty much spot-on, but if I HAD to change anything, I might widen the shoulders a little bit next time since they pull a tiny bit. But that could just be that I'm used to wearing really loose stuff these days. Or maybe that I'm just not used to boatneck necklines?
So, funny story. Even before I got back to my van from snapping these photos, my legs started itching like crazy. I mean, like CRAZY. I looked down and had these huge blisters (and lots of tiny ones, too) all over the insides of my legs where they had touched the grass. My husband said I probably got into some nettles.
HOLY COW y'all. Do not ever get into nettles. That is all I'm going to say except that I am better now and thought I was dying there for a second. The things I do for blogging...
So anyway, you should definitely go buy this pattern because it's going to be my go-to shirt pattern. The fit is superb, and I had a great time sewing it up. I should note that my cover stitch machine came in SUPER HANDY when sewing that gorgeous neckline, hem and sleeve cuffs. I haven't regretted buying that thing for one second!
Do you love this silhouette as much as I do? Is there another shape or fabric type for which you're always on the lookout? I'll definitely be buying panel stripes any time I spot them!
