Pattern Review: Frankie & Ray Breezeway Top in white linen
Jo of Frankie and Ray had been teasing the release of the Breezeway Top pattern on her Instagram for a while and we thought it looked like another winner. So I jumped in and made one as soon as the patterns arrived. It doesn't disappoint!
With a generous, roomy fit, gentle v-neck and optional back pleat and sleeve cuffs, the Breezeway Top is quick and simple to sew, with just enough detail to make it 'polished casual'.
I used our White Lithuanian Linen - this one is unwashed which lowers the price (and the original fabric's environmental impact through energy and water use). I even skipped pre-washing (gasp!) because I knew the Breezeway Top was generously sized. You can see the fabric below with its flat finish and clearly separate fibres. In this photo I'm stitching over the underarm point twice to reinforce it.
We find these 'unwashed' linens tend to be overlooked in favour of the - admittedly prettier - gently rumpled pre-washed ones. I'm here to say give them a go! It doesn't take long at all for them to achieve a lovely lived-in feeling. They even ought to last longer because the fibres have not been partially broken down. We DO of course love our washed linen fabrics, but please don't be turned off by their smooth, flat siblings... they are in fact the very same cloth. (You can find more information about our linens, with some comparison images, in this blog post from a few years back.)
Here's the finished top, after a wash and iron.
I chose the white linen because I thought it would make a great shop sample, both for the pattern and the fabric. My natural tendency would be to choose pattern or colour for myself. But once I'd tried this sample on I didn't want to take it off... and what the heck, it only takes one metre of linen, so I made another for me.
On my second version I decided to try the 'cap sleeve'. The finish will be familiar to those of you who have made the Frankie & Ray Box Top: simple, clever and neat. Without the cuffs, it's more layerable for the approaching cooler weather. Here it is just off the machine, pre-wash:
The trickiest part of this pattern is probably finishing the v-neckline with bias tape. Don't be intimidated; the instructions are good and the end result is neat and secure (except when my shop-dwelling machine - decades overdue for a service poor thing - decided to skip stitches right at the point, argh). The second time I thought I could try applying the bias tape without pins until I got to the point, then using a pin to execute that manoeuvre on the spot. In short: nah, use all the pins, or you may be spending some quality time with your unpicker, like me.
A couple of steps I added to the neckline finish:
- I staystitched* the raw edge to stabilise the neckline early on, because the binding isn't added until later in the construction and my linen could easily have stretched out.
- I understitched** the bias to the neckline seam allowance before turning the whole thing to the inside, to help the bias roll in nicely and not peek around the outside. (I particularly wanted to do this because I only had cream bias tape, not white.)
(*Staystitch: a line of straight stitching through a single layer of fabric, close to the cut edge, to help stop it from stretching out during handling. **Understitch: sew a facing to both layers of seam allowance where the facing is joined to the main garment, close to the stitching line. This helps produce 'turn of cloth' so the facing sits fully inside the garment and does not show from the outside.)
And of course, what does it look like on a human?
PATTERN: The Breezeway Top by Frankie & Ray
FABRIC: 100% linen, white 245gsm, 150cm wide, 1 metre
SIZE: S, no alterations (the fit is generous, the length just right on me at 5'3"/163cm) and yes, this sample now lives in-store so you can see it in person and try it on!
COMMENTS: Like the Frankie & Ray Box Top, I can see this being a great pattern to make again and again in different fabrics. It would be easy to embellish with patch pockets, a raw-edged bias finish neckline, shirt-tail hemline and other ideas. I could even imagine making one from a light woven wool as an easy throw-on top layer for winter. Jo, the designer, told us that the sleeve from her Friday Shirt pattern will fit this top so that would be a great option too - perhaps in a soft brushed cotton/flannel like these.
Easy, breezy, comfy Breezeway!
- Jane & Fiona xx
With a generous, roomy fit, gentle v-neck and optional back pleat and sleeve cuffs, the Breezeway Top is quick and simple to sew, with just enough detail to make it 'polished casual'.
I used our White Lithuanian Linen - this one is unwashed which lowers the price (and the original fabric's environmental impact through energy and water use). I even skipped pre-washing (gasp!) because I knew the Breezeway Top was generously sized. You can see the fabric below with its flat finish and clearly separate fibres. In this photo I'm stitching over the underarm point twice to reinforce it.
We find these 'unwashed' linens tend to be overlooked in favour of the - admittedly prettier - gently rumpled pre-washed ones. I'm here to say give them a go! It doesn't take long at all for them to achieve a lovely lived-in feeling. They even ought to last longer because the fibres have not been partially broken down. We DO of course love our washed linen fabrics, but please don't be turned off by their smooth, flat siblings... they are in fact the very same cloth. (You can find more information about our linens, with some comparison images, in this blog post from a few years back.)
Here's the finished top, after a wash and iron.
I chose the white linen because I thought it would make a great shop sample, both for the pattern and the fabric. My natural tendency would be to choose pattern or colour for myself. But once I'd tried this sample on I didn't want to take it off... and what the heck, it only takes one metre of linen, so I made another for me.
On my second version I decided to try the 'cap sleeve'. The finish will be familiar to those of you who have made the Frankie & Ray Box Top: simple, clever and neat. Without the cuffs, it's more layerable for the approaching cooler weather. Here it is just off the machine, pre-wash:
The trickiest part of this pattern is probably finishing the v-neckline with bias tape. Don't be intimidated; the instructions are good and the end result is neat and secure (except when my shop-dwelling machine - decades overdue for a service poor thing - decided to skip stitches right at the point, argh). The second time I thought I could try applying the bias tape without pins until I got to the point, then using a pin to execute that manoeuvre on the spot. In short: nah, use all the pins, or you may be spending some quality time with your unpicker, like me.
A couple of steps I added to the neckline finish:
- I staystitched* the raw edge to stabilise the neckline early on, because the binding isn't added until later in the construction and my linen could easily have stretched out.
- I understitched** the bias to the neckline seam allowance before turning the whole thing to the inside, to help the bias roll in nicely and not peek around the outside. (I particularly wanted to do this because I only had cream bias tape, not white.)
(*Staystitch: a line of straight stitching through a single layer of fabric, close to the cut edge, to help stop it from stretching out during handling. **Understitch: sew a facing to both layers of seam allowance where the facing is joined to the main garment, close to the stitching line. This helps produce 'turn of cloth' so the facing sits fully inside the garment and does not show from the outside.)
And of course, what does it look like on a human?
PATTERN: The Breezeway Top by Frankie & Ray
FABRIC: 100% linen, white 245gsm, 150cm wide, 1 metre
SIZE: S, no alterations (the fit is generous, the length just right on me at 5'3"/163cm) and yes, this sample now lives in-store so you can see it in person and try it on!
COMMENTS: Like the Frankie & Ray Box Top, I can see this being a great pattern to make again and again in different fabrics. It would be easy to embellish with patch pockets, a raw-edged bias finish neckline, shirt-tail hemline and other ideas. I could even imagine making one from a light woven wool as an easy throw-on top layer for winter. Jo, the designer, told us that the sleeve from her Friday Shirt pattern will fit this top so that would be a great option too - perhaps in a soft brushed cotton/flannel like these.
Easy, breezy, comfy Breezeway!
- Jane & Fiona xx
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