Little Zippy Top

I originally had not planned to participate in Kid’s Clothes Week this week because I have quite a few other obligations that need to be finished.  Then, I was working on a particularly frustrating quilt top, so I needed to just take a break from quilting/piecing for a morning.  I decided that following an easy pattern was just what I needed before tackling that other project.  Therefore, I present to you the Little Zippy Top.

Little Zippy Top

Pattern: Little Zippy Top from See Kate Sew

Pattern Description (from designer): This top is a versatile woven top with an exposed zipper on the back! Make it with all your favorite fabrics! This top is perfect for beginners and quick and fun to sew! Requires very little fabric and a little zipper!

Pattern Price: $9 full price, but watch for sales.

Fabric Required: 1/2 yard for size 4T and smaller

Amount of fabric used: 1/2 yard!

Sizing: Comes in size 18M to 10.

Alterations:  This shirt is a little short, in my opinion.  I used the 4T length hoping to get a little more wear out of the shirt, and it needed that length just to be wearable now on my daughter.

Little Zippy Top

Instructions: Some of the steps were in a little bit of a weird order.  For example, you don’t stay stitch the neckline until step 6 by which point you’ve already handled it quite a bit so if it was going to stretch out, I think it would have by then.  I also prefer to do prep-type work at the beginning, but that’s my personal preference versus a pattern issue.  For example, step 7 is to fuse the interfacing to the facing pieces.  That’s something I prefer to do first before I get into sewing the piece of clothing.

Pattern Issues: Instructions are adequate, but not my preferred style of construction.  For example, you don’t under stitch the facing to the seam allowance.  Instead, you just topstitch the whole neckline.  Which is fine, but that step has you also topstitch around the zipper opening prior to the zipper being installed, which leads you to have to install the zipper while insanely carefully trying to topstitch over the line of stitching already there.  I probably made more work for myself by under stitching the neckline, then installing the zipper and just continuing on to topstitch around the neckline in one go.

Fabric Choice: Cute cupcake fabric that was on sale from Fort Worth Fabric Studio.  The actual name of the fabric is Love At First Bite by Color Bakery for Windham Fabrics.  Quilting cotton works fine for the shirt.

Finished Product: It’s a cute shirt.  I wish the neck was a little bit higher in front.  Sometimes the shirt has a tendency to sit forward a little more than it should, so that may be why the neckline looks lower than it should.

Little Zippy Top

Husband’s opinion: I like the exposed zipper, and the fabric.

Notes for future makes: I think I will go up a size in width, and at least one more size in length (to 5T for a little girl that wears 2T in ready to wear).  My daughter is pretty skinny, but likes to “help” put her clothes on by sticking her arms out straight in whatever direction that makes it impossible to get a woven shirt on, so I’m hoping a little extra width will help make dressing her a little bit easier.

Little Zippy Top

Final Thoughts: I had high hopes for this shirt being one that I go to again and again, but I’m not sure that I will.  It’s like when someone tells you a restaurant has the best hamburger they’ve ever had in their entire life… your hopes get high and no hamburger is going to live up to what you have built up in your head.  I had higher hopes for this pattern, so I think that’s why I’m a little disappointed.

I didn’t keep track of time, but it wasn’t quite as fast of a make as I was hoping.  Then again, if I made multiples, it would go faster.  Making sure the zipper is evenly installed takes longer than buttonholes and sleeves do for me.  I also don’t really like how the zipper is installed.  The zipper seemed to be annoying my daughter last night when we were sitting on the couch together.  I still like how little fabric it uses, so I may try it again just for that reason.

I guess for now, I’ll see how often I dress her in it before deciding if it’s a total win or bust.

3 Replies to “Little Zippy Top”

  1. Thanks for the honest review – I get really frustrated at patterns like that. Though I will say that it turned out a very cute top for your little one.

  2. I REALLY like the way your blog posts are structured…while mine are sort of ramblings, yours are very concise and to the point! My only complaint: I want more of them 🙂

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