Tova Top

Tova Top

In my ongoing goal to make clothing again, I decided to tackle the very popular Tova top by Wiksten. Β There is always a risk when you take on a “popular” pattern that you are just following the crowd…the blind leading the blind, so to speak. But I’ve seen enough photos of this particular top that I thought it might be worth the effort.

I made the top in a size Medium (which seems about right for me these days…sigh…feeling bigger than I was in my 20’s). A size small would definitely have been too tight in the arm holes and that is what I was most worried about with taking on a shirt. Β And honestly I might even have been able to flair this out a bit more for around my hips even with the medium. Β I found the directions a bit difficult to follow…it was tough for me to read ahead. Β But I know that I second attempt at this would be simple enough to do.

Tova Top

I love the pretty details of this top like the gathered sleeve cuff shown above. Β Other details are the placket and inset that give this top such a distinctive look of relaxed yet structured. Β I made the top with a Voile designed by Joel Dewberry. Β Voile can be difficult to work with but is pretty par for the course for most garment materials. Β It’s no quilting cotton, but I’ve worked with much tougher materials in garment sewing. Β And I LOVE how it feels to wear it.

Tova Top

I had some length to work with when hemming this, but settled on this medium length ultimately. Β I think the tunic length could be cuter than I thought, but I would definitely need to add more ease for my bottom half πŸ˜‰ I think the pattern is fairly slim in nature over all, so I would err on a size up if debating where to start.

Oh and I am very proud to say that I did my first Blind Hem Stitch EVER! How I can sew for over 20 years and never have done that is pretty funny, but this is the first garment that I knew needed it. Β The voile is too light and airy to put a line of visible stitching all along the bottom hem.

Tova Top

I would definitely recommend practicing that blind hem stitch before trying it on your finished garment. Β I definitely had a bit of a learning curve with my machine and the stitch width etc. I followed THIS tutorial. (thank you pinterest!) Β The tutorial is great but I definitely needed to use a 1/4″ seam with my machine…no 1/8″ would work for me…It just got all jumbled in my machine plate. Β And you all know that is NO good.

Tova Top

And I think it doesn’t look too bad from the back either. Β You have to think about that stuff with three dimensional sewing. πŸ˜‰ Β And if you’ll be at Sewing Summit, look for me wearing this top! I think I’m brave enough to wear it in public.

23 thoughts on “Tova Top”

  1. Beautiful fabric, and yay for liking your finished product! I've made a few of these, and love them to wear. But nice fabric makes all the difference! I'm going to test that blind hem stitch out I think….

  2. Beautiful fabric, and yay for liking your finished product! I've made a few of these, and love them to wear. But nice fabric makes all the difference! I'm going to test that blind hem stitch out I think….

  3. Wear it proudly. It looks great on you. As for the blind hem, I just did that on a pair of pants the other day. I remember when my mom taught me how to do it. Boy, did it require some extra thinking on my part but once I got it then (as a teenager), it's been a great tool in my arsenal of skills.

  4. Wear it proudly. It looks great on you. As for the blind hem, I just did that on a pair of pants the other day. I remember when my mom taught me how to do it. Boy, did it require some extra thinking on my part but once I got it then (as a teenager), it's been a great tool in my arsenal of skills.

  5. Beautiful job! Love your fabric and your fit seems quite perfect – it looks great on you. I made one of these and found picking a size to be a little tough since I haven't sewn garments for myself in a long while. Now that I've made one I know where I need a bit more room next time. I love this pattern and plan to make more!

    1. That is most definitely the trick with sewing garments! Getting the fit right! Even with this fitting reasonably well, I still think that there are things I might tweak if I made it again. Especially if I made a longer tunic version.

    1. Thank you Amanda! That's all part of the trick with garment sewing…actually getting it to look decent on the person wearing it. I was nervous about the fabric but it seems to have worked out.

  6. Uhhhh I LOVE THIS TOP!!! I've been on a search for a nice shirt that's not too format and without buttons…. this looks awesome…. and I didn't know about the blind hem stitch like that, I guess you use a special foot? hmmm I'm going to look for a link for this pattern and get it

  7. Looks really really great. I think someday I'll try this, too. I'm tired of not finding a tunic that I like or can afford (or that don't fit). Maybe sewing some for me would be the best. πŸ™‚ Thanks for telling about the blind hem. I like that it's nearly invisible. Well done!

  8. That is so cute. I haven't heard of this top so I googled it. If I'd seen that pattern without anyone wearing it, like it's shown on the wiksten website, I never would have looked twice. I looked up finished ones being modeled and now I need one! I've been looking for tops that um…sorta camouflage a tubby tummy.

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