Skip to main content

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! 😉

Thank you for reading this post! If you enjoyed it, I would love for you to follow or subscribe to my blog so that you can be notified of future posts! If you don't already, come follow me on Instagram and Pinterest to see my other makes!




Comments

  1. This tops looks wonderful on you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I loved all of the options included in the pattern!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tank Dress 3-ways by Pattern Emporium

It's been a while since I posted. I've been sewing, helping my kindergartener with virtual school, and living, which just hasn't left me with a lot of time for blogging! Life happens!  But... I've kind of missed writing, and I decided that now was the perfect time to make a new post. I had the opportunity to sew a pattern I really liked, and I got excited enough to find the motivation to write about it! 😉 **Disclosure: I have included my affiliate link to the pattern used in this post. If you choose to purchase a Pattern from Pattern Emporium using my link, I will receive a small commission of the sale at no additional cost to you.** The pattern I tested is from Pattern Emporium. I love their patterns for a few reasons. I've posted before that I have kind of broad shoulders and on with some designers I have to adjust patterns to fit them. There are a couple of designers that seem to fit me well with no adjustments to the pattern pieces and this is one of them. I

A Double Release from Pattern Emporium

I get so excited about new patterns. 😊 One of my favorite designers is releasing TWO new patterns together this month, and I'm thrilled to share about them! **Disclosure: I have included my affiliate links to the patterns used for this post. If you choose to purchase a pattern using my link, I'll receive a small commission of the sale at no additional cost to you.** The first new release- the BESTIES TEE This tee is so fun, with quite a few options! You can choose whether you like the flared tee or the banded tee. The flared tee features a slightly flared silhouette with three length options (cropped, regular, or long).  The banded option also has a slightly flared silhouette gathered into a waistband. It also has a couple of lengths - for the hemband to sit on the waist or the hips.  Both versions can be made with several necklines- three different rounded necklines, a v neckline, or a squared neckline. They both have several options for sleeve lengths or two choices for slee

New Athletic Set - ALD fabrics

 Every month, Amelia Lane Designs is featuring a new fabric of the month. The featured fabric type is discounted throughout the entire month! It's so nice if your favorite fabric type is featured or one that you've just been wanting to try.  This month, the featured fabric is Athletics! I LOVE the athletics from ALD! And, the best part is, every time I make something new from athletics, I get motivated to move and exercise!   **Disclosure: I have included affiliate links in this post. If you choose to purchase a pattern using my link, I will receive a small commission of the sale at no additional cost to you.** This Set:  For the top, I used a fabric called " Sportivo ." This is a nylon/ spandex blend. It can be used for athletic tops, sports bras, and even swimwear. I LOVE this fabric !  For this top, I used the Marin from Sew A Little Seam . This is a swim pattern. I planned to sew a crop top version with this for an exercise tank, but when I finished, I decided to