When the theme of the "sewing photo challenge" launched by Avril in a thread on Instagram was the most worn garment, a wave of nostalgia overwhelmed me. I wanted to tell you about the second garment I sewed when I started sewing, now 6 years ago. I still wear this garment with a lot of love and pride; it is the Tova top from the American brand Wiksten patterns (thanks to Eric from the IG account who_man_sews who helped me find the brand ;-)

At the time, I made it in a floral Japanese cotton (old habits die hard) that I found again and now offer in my shop.

The little sakura flowers are a classic that never goes out of style! And did you see the shoes? They almost match the top ;-)

The brand Wiksten patterns is an American brand of sewing and knitting patterns. They sell their patterns online, so it is possible to download them as PDFs from their website. These are patterns created by a fashion designer and were designed to teach sewing with the right techniques.

The Tova top is available for $10 + taxes on the brand’s website; which is about 10 euros.

The instructions are in English, but this top is not complicated to sew if you have already sewn one or another top; you will have no trouble sewing it by following the steps.

The top is available in sizes XS to XL (0 to 14) in American sizes. The size chart is given in inches; so you need to convert it (1 inch = 2.54 cm). For a loose top, the most important measurement to consider is the bust circumference, which ranges from 82 cm for size XS to 101 cm for size XL.

The technical points of the Tova top are:

• assembling the front yoke (with the placket)
• making gathers
• assembling the sleeves and the gathered sleeve cuffs
• assembling the collar
• hemming the bottom of the garment.

It is also possible to lengthen it to make a dress.

Thanks to this pattern, I learned how to make French seams, set in my first sleeves, topstitch... In short, every time I wear it, I think back to my beginnings and love it even more.