The Sheona Top by Athina Kakou

You may have caught my blog post about the Suzy dress the other day... I have found a new pattern designer I REALLY like... Athina Kakou!

So, I was so excited for the opportunity to try and review another of her patterns - the Sheona Top. I loved the look of the pattern when browsing her site, but when I actually downloaded it, I was amazed! Apparently I don't read well enough because the listing explains exactly what you're getting, but I thought the pattern was for a basic shift dress and basic tee. And it is... but there is more!

 I was planning to make the tee with this fabric I've had for a while! I got it in a mystery scrap box I think, and really love it! It's been begging to become something for the spring and summer, but I didn't know what to make.

I put my pattern together, looked at the tutorial, looked at all of the hacks that the designer made for this pattern, and WOW... you have a lot of options! I really liked the long ruffle piece (to make the gathered skirt dress), but I didn't have quite enough fabric, so I settled on the shorter ruffle for a cute ruffled top! I REALLY like it!

Let's talk about the pattern:

As I mentioned, this pattern has quite a few options to choose from. You can make a basic tee, a shift dress, a top with a gathered/ruffle skirt piece, a dress with a gathered/ruffled skirt dress, or a shift dress with a narrow ruffle at the hem. There are also two sleeve lengths included in this pattern - short sleeves and 3/4 length sleeves. AND... if that was not enough, the designer has helped to stretch this pattern even further by creating 16 hacks for this top/dress.. YES 16! That's a lot of ways you can make this pattern!

This pattern is rated for beginners. Some of the options are so easy and quick, that even someone with minimal experience could complete the top/dress. You'll need a knit fabric with at least 20% stretch. The designer advises against using very thin and stretchy fabrics, especially for the dress version. They cling, stick, and the dress might get heavy and "grow." I also would say that most of these thin/ stretchy fabrics are not too beginner-friendly anyway.

Let's Talk about Fabric

As I mentioned, I used a fabric I already had on hand for this top. It is a double brushed poly fabric. If you have never used it before, DBP is very easy to sew. It doesn't curl or roll much, it has enough weight to make it a breeze to work with. I just love it! Also, it's SO soft!

The designer recommends fabric with at least 20% stretch like cotton spandex, cotton jersey, and ponte di roma. I love sewing all of these, because, for the most part, they are easy to work with. I do love the drape of my DBP though.

The listing for the pattern explains that you can use a lighter-weight fabric for the top only. But keep in mind, that different fabric types can make this an easy-to-put-together top or dress OR can make it super difficult to work with, if you don't have much experience with different types!

My Top:

I mentioned that I settled on the top with the ruffled piece due to my fabric limitations. I made the short sleeve version because I'm READY FOR SPRING. It's ALMOST here!

I love the fit of this top! It's semi-fitted at the bust, and a little looser at the waist.

I definitely want a few more tops/ dresses made with this pattern!

Check out the pattern here: https://athinakakou.com/product/sheona-dress-and-top-pdf-sewing-pattern/

Check out all of the hacks here: https://athinakakou.com/sheonahacks/ You could totally apply these hacks to other things, but I SUPER recommend you check out this pattern, because it's awesome! 😉

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