Kauai is the Hawaiian Island that is also known as the Garden Island. And when the teaser pictures for the newest Itch to Stitch pattern, The Kauai Top came out, that was the icing on the cake for me to ask to be included in the testing group!
I have this secret fascination for the Hawaiian Islands so I went looking for some royalty-free photos of Kauai and came up with this beauty! Here is a link to the photographer and website so I can give credit where credit is due for the gorgeous image! Photo by Sarah Shaffer on Unsplash
The first top I made was from a caramel coloured poly/cotton fabric I had on hand. I made a size 10 and graded to a size 12 hips and I used the B cup. I also did a 1/2 inch forward shoulder adjustment and lengthened the top at the lengthen/shorten line by 1 inch. The fit was pretty good on this but Kennis decided to make a couple of changes to make the fit even better so that was my chance to make another top!
This second one is the same size (but I did decide to try the A cup for this one) and has the same adjustments but I used a rayon floral and a rayon pumpkin coloured solid I had in my stash for this one. I love the flowy nature of this top! Different fabrics make two different tops but both are great so I don’t know which is my favourite!
I love the curved hem on the top! And the loose fit in the bodice means this top will be very cool in the hot weather,of which we have already had some and this served it’s purpose to keep me cool quite well!
I had a stroke of creativeness hit me in the morning after finishing the top initially. This isn’t a great picture as it was just a fit picture sent into the group but I wanted to give you a before and after of one of the possibilities for having some fun when making your own clothes. So, here is the before….
…and here is the after! If you have been following me for a while, you may have caught onto the fact that I kind of like pattern matching when I can. This was my first attempt at doing applique but I combined it with some fussy cutting and pattern matching and came up with this new look for the front!
Here are a couple of close up images. I love how the main fabric flows into the solid bib of the top, appearing to be one piece but this was all pieced together afterwards. My daughter actually thought I had redid the whole front and had to look up close to see that it is, in fact, just closely blended together and the fussy cut flowers are anchored down with a product called Heat n’ Bond
I used these coconut floral buttons to continue the garden theme!
There are two views to the Kauai top. The regular sleeveless version, which is the one I made, and a version that has a super cute ruffle around the armhole. I think this would be super cute in a coloured linen!
If you haven’t already joined the Itch to Stitch Facebook group , there is no time like the present! What makes sewing indie pdf patterns so much fun is being able to interact with the designer and all the other people sewing up the same patterns. It is great place for ideas and inspiration and there is always help there for when you need it.
Thanks for joining me on the tour of my Kauai Tops!
The Kauai Top from Itch to Stitch
sizes:
US sizes 00 to 20
skill level:
Intermediate+
features:
–Options for A, B, C, D and DD cups
-Button-down front bib with button loops
-Center front pleat
-Round neckline finished with bias binding
-Shirttail hem
-View A is sleeveless finished with bias binding
-View B is sleeveless with ruffles finished with bias binding
pattern details:
-layered options for printing only the size(s) you need
-printable on A4 and Letter paper
-A0 print shop format
-trim pdf pattern assembly
suggested fabric
-Use lightweight, flowy, woven fabric. Batiste, rayon challis, lightweight chambray and lightweight linen are great choices.
– I used 1.6 meters of fabric for each of my tops
Embrace Everyday 
Nicely done! I love how you snuck the extra flowers on your neckline. Very clever!