This is the jersey top of dreams for me, I really love the shape and how easy it was to put together.
Sewing
There are only three pieces to cut out and the instructions have you sewing it up straight on the overlocker so it’s very fast (unpicking my terrible first neckline attempt probably took longer than the rest of the project combined).
I think the instructions are good and I would recommend this pattern for someone who is new to overlocking in particular. There are photos in the instructions and helpful tips like which end of the seam to start sewing from plus it goes into detail about attaching the neckband. If you’ve sewn lots of jersey tops before you can probably just do it without looking.
The pattern includes a 3/8″ seam allowance, which I know some people will think is a lot for overlocker sewing but it’s not something that bothers me!
The instructions advise you to finish with twin needle stitching on the hems and neckline but my sewing machine isn’t designed for two spools of thread annoyingly and I’ve never successfully worked out a way around this. I settled for a single line instead and while it doesn’t look as professionally finished as the double line of stitching I don’t mind. My neighbour was still like “wow, you made that?!”
Sizing
The pattern says it is designed to be fitted on the hips and my hips measure 111cm, so I cut size large and it’s a perfect fit. It’s quite roomy in the rest of the torso so unless your hips are a significantly smaller size than your bust or waist I’d say it’s a safe bet to cut your hip size without grading between sizes elsewhere.
I’ve made quite a few Mandy Boat Tees, another pattern by Tessuti, and find I need to widen the sleeves. The Isla sleeves are also on the narrow side so I sewed them using a 1cm seam allowance and they seem to fit OK. You might want to make them a little wider if your fabric isn’t very stretchy or you’re worried about how comfortable it will be.
Fabric
My first Isla top is in a micromodal jersey with about 30% stretch and it’s the perfect match of fabric and pattern. The pattern calls for 160cm for size L and because the front piece is quite big and an odd shape (it includes the sleeves as well as the back yoke) there’s not much room for pattern piece tetris. By cutting the back piece with a seam instead of a fold, however, I was able to get it out of a metre of 160cm wide jersey.
My second Isla top is almost finished, I used an unusual linen jersey knit which has quite an open weave and less stretch. Unfortunately it’s just not as good a quality fabric as the micromodal but it does suit the pattern. I’d bought enough so cut it out the regular way.