Friday Pattern Company Sagebrush Top Review

There are some patterns that take on a bit of a cult status in the sewing community, and I think the Friday Pattern Company Sagebrush top is definitely one of those! It's a bit different to anything else in my wardrobe and seems to look good on everyone so I've been meaning to try it out for a while - finally I found time for it!

The Sagebrush top has some distinctive features that I think have probably contributed to its popularity - the ruffle front, puff sleeves and tie back are all fun details that probably make the top look more complicated to sew than it really is. In actual fact, it's a relatively simple project - if you're happy with gathering fabric and sewing bias binding then you'll have no trouble making the top. 

The instructions are also really thorough and explain everything very clearly, so that should give you an extra helping hand if you need it. It would probably be a fairly good pattern for slightly adventurous beginners because none of the techniques are particularly complicated, but I think it's a bit more interesting than lots of beginner patterns and the finished top probably looks a bit more impressive as well.

Fitting the top also shouldn't be too much of a challenge because it's fairly loose so doesn't need to be fitted precisely. At the same time it's not too baggy - I think it's just the right balance of being loose and breezy without ending up looking tent-like.

I made a size M at the shoulders blending out to a L at the hip. My bust measurement is on the smaller end of the L size bracket, but I think my shoulders are proportionately slightly small so I wanted to use the M at the shoulders. I blended out to the L from the underarms downwards, so the bust measurement of my top will be somewhere between the M and L. I think it worked out quite nicely - the shoulders fit well and there's plenty of space throughout the rest of the top.

The pattern is available in bust sizes from 32"-33" to 59-60".

The fabric that I used is a cotton shirting that was left over from a shirt that I made for my Dad a couple of years ago. I'm not quite sure how I ended up with quite so much fabric left over, but past Ruth had a definite tendency to be over-cautious when ordering fabric and I always ended up with more than I needed. It's worked out OK in this case though because it's lovely fabric and now I can wear it too!

So I think, all in all, it's fair to say that I'm the latest member of the Sagebrush top fan club! I enjoyed sewing the pattern, and the finished top is fun to wear. I've already got my eye on another leftover piece of cotton in my stash to make a second version, and that's always a fairly good verdict on a pattern, isn't it?