Isla DRESS & TOP
ABOUT THE ISLA PATTERN
This playful sewing pattern for knit fabrics can be made as a dress or top. Isla features a fitted bodice with a peplum skirt attached at the natural waist. Elastic thread is used to gather and attach the skirt, a clever technique that you’ll find yourself returning to repeatedly. Built-in cap sleeves and a scoop neckline are finished with double-fold bands for a quick and easy finish. You’ll love Isla both as a transitional piece between seasons and as a summer wardrobe essential!
YARDAGE & MATERIALS
knit fabric (see yardage chart below for amounts)
polyester thread
twin needle (optional)
Recommended Fabrics
light to medium weight knit fabrics such as jersey, interlock, and rib knits
Resources
My Isla Online Workshop (Creativebug)
My Knits Page
Shirring Tutorial
Tips for Hemming Knits
Shopping for Knits online
My favorite knit fabrics
Alternatives for gathering the skirt:
Indiesew’s Floss Method and Elastic Method
This pattern is featured in the following blog posts
I'm a mother of three and reliable coffee spiller, so I’m not sure why my recent knit sewing streak has included three dresses (see also: Exhibit A / Exhibit B)...
Hey hey! Today my Isla Dress & Top launches as an online class on Creativebug, woot woot! Isla is the third and final women’s garment that I’m launching with Creativebug...
It's difficult for me to resist immediately creating spin-offs and mods for a new pattern even while I'm still working on it, and I totally did that with Jade; if...
I'm in la la love with this Jade/Isla hybrid (tutorial here!) dress. It's made of a brushed poly jersey which is really soft and incredibly stretchy. Wearing it becomes a...
The dresses that I've made combining Jade and Isla have gotten a great response on IG (I just posted the Grid Dress here on the blog if you want to see that one),...
As we get closer to launching Jade, my next pattern for knit fabrics, I thought I'd recommend my (new-ish) serger for those of you looking for a good recommendation. I know it can...
Hi all! Jess sneaking in to send you into the weekend with a little spring inspiration. This wool jersey Isla Dress is perfect for seasonal transitions. It's light and drapey, and I was surprised...
Sometimes I wish I had more time to show you all of the concepts and variations a pattern goes through before it's finally released. Originally I thought the Isla pattern...
Last summer, Jess came to Ann Arbor for what we call a "workaway" -- a week of intense work here in Ann Arbor at my studio (Jess and I live in...
Aww yeah is it Spring yet? This dress is definitely screaming "SPRING" to me! It's an Isla Dress made with the "Prize Garden" floral print from Sidewalk, my line of...
This marble-dyed fabric is fun, isn't it? This is another Isla top that I wear all the time, even though it was meant to just be a studio sample. We...
Look, a new Isla top for me!I bought this bamboo shibori from Fancy Tiger Crafts in the summer when we were churning out Islas in the studio. It's a 95% bamboo...
I thought you might enjoy seeing these Isla tops that Jess sewed up for the Quilt Market booth last spring! These two prints are called Fancy Steps and Lawn Ornament, and...
Here's a fun dress version of my Isla Sewing Pattern that I made while we were testing the pattern! This fabric is a super-stretchy striped cotton lycra jersey -- very similar to...
This Isla is one of my favorites. Shhhh don't tell my other Islas! It was meant to just be a whip-it-up-quick sample (read: don't look too closely) to check the original pattern...
You guys! My newest pattern, Isla, is here!! Isla is designed for knit fabrics and has a fitted bodice with a gathered skirt attached at the natural waist to make...
Last week I posted this photo on Instagram to show off the new Ellesquare pincushion that Karen gave me for my birthday, and I got so many comments asking for...
I mentioned earlier this week that I had made more than one peplum top; this one was supposed to be the "muslin" version of the Briar Rose peplum, since this...
I have really been on a top-sewing kick lately, and my latest creation is this knit peplum top with the recently-released Briar Rose jersey, which I may or may not...
Smooth hems on knits can be tricky to achieve; with Jade we felt like we finally landed on a technique that REALLY worked (no curling; looks smooth, not stretched out...