I have only ever tested and tried two of Itch to Stitch patterns, and can I say I am a fan?! Kennis’s pattern drafting is exceptionally good and instructions top notch. But my favorite part really is how well the garments lay. Both my Arenal tops are among my favorites and something that I always reach for when heading out. But enough about my wardrobe, today I am so excited to share my Newport Tops with you.

The Newport Top is a relaxed style sweater with subtle details like a wide boat neck, envelope fold shoulders and a soft high-low hem. It comes in regular long sleeve and 3/4th length flute sleeves. This neckline is what drew me to this pattern when I first saw the call for testers.

One of the things that I have started to obsess over as I have progressed in my sewing journey is how clean the garment looks from inside. When designers pay as much attention as they do to include steps to enclose seams, which side to press a seam or how to finish off the raw edges, and notches! (I love notches), it makes sewing that project that much more enjoyable for me. Even in the most straightforward looking pattern, I like to follow the instructions exactly as written even when I am not testing that pattern. So a well drafted and well written pattern albeit a simple basic pattern is something that I will love forever lol! But I digress yet again! Anyway I love the Newport Top pattern for all the reasons stated above 🙂

The fabric I used is actually an ombre heathered knit (Nicole Miller line from Jo Ann fabrics) but the color gradient went from grey to black horizontally instead of vertically (that is weird right?). As I was cutting into my fabric, I realized I was going to have a grey left side and a black right side 😦 So I shifted the pattern pieces around to use only the grey part of the fabric, thankfully it was a bolt end with some extra to play with so it turned out fine. I can’t help but think though, this top in ombre going from grey to black (top to bottom) would have been really really cool, oh well!

I love the color and the texture of this fabric!

While I loved the muted look of the grey sweater by itself, my hands were itching to add something to that gorgeous wide yoke. I settled on french knots just because I love how much texture they add to a garment without ever being too much. I briefly contemplated adding confetti-like brown, mustard and beige french knots but ended up choosing metallic silver instead because sparkle! 😀

I just randomly kept adding the french knots until it seemed like enough, sorry not very helpful but I did try the top on a couple times to gauge where I wanted them to end at.

Needless to say, I absolutely love how my Newport top turned out – fit, color and the french knot detailing!

I made one of the earlier versions during testing in a sparkly ivory french terry from Joann fabrics, and while the neckline has obviously changed a bit, I love this version as well so here goes some more pictures!

So if envelope flap shoulders is something you’ve been wanting to try, Newport Top pattern is a great one to start with. This layered PDF pattern comes in sizes ranging from 00 – 20. It is currently on sale for $8.00 USD (regular price $10.00), sale ends Sunday March 19th.

Happy Sewing!