
Hi! Today I’m feeling ‘in the pink’ wearing my new Vikisews Terry top. It’s a long-sleeved tee with a twist (you know how I love a basic with a twist) and made in 100% pure wool jersey is pretty cosy too.
But before I carry on I just want to give you a little backstory…A few weeks ago I was approached by Vikisews, or more specifically @vikisews.inc (the English version), on Instagram and I was asked if I’d like to be one of their brand ambassadors. Well, after having had such a great experience with the lovely drafting of the Emmanuelle Coat from the Russian version of the website and knowing how much I love the look of their stylish designs, I decided to say yes 🙂
Even though the instructions for my coat were in Russian, each step was accompanied by photos. Well, the good news is that more and more patterns are being added to the English side of the website and the instructions are completely in English. Just be sure to flip the website over to the English version each time you go to Viksews.com, as in this little video clip.
Anyhoo, all of this is to say that from time to time I’ll be sharing my Vikisews makes with you so stay tuned!
***oh, and by the way…if you feel like purchasing a pattern to try for yourself you can use my discount code of 20DIANE for 20% off on first purchases and you need to make an account and make sure you’re logged in. It can also be used in conjunction with other offers, yay!… Thank you for supporting me if you do as it’s an affiliate code)***
The Vikisews Terry Top
Ok, enough of the chatter, let me tell you about my top. So, as I said the fabric is pure wool and I got it from Stone Fabrics. It was specified as dry clean but I decided to carefully prewash it by hand in lukewarm water and squeeze it dry in a towel (living dangerously folks!) I’m happy to say it worked a treat and feels lovely, so in the future, I can always handwash it.
The Terry top PDF consists of 5 pieces. The style is meant to be quite close-fitting with a fair bit of negative ease (all mentioned on the website). I suggest you use a jersey with a good percentage of stretch and if you want to err on the side of caution for a more body-skimming fit like myself (especially as my fabric isn’t super stretchy), I would size up.
I really like how the cut-out works of this design. The lower part of the front extends underneath the upper piece to the shoulder seam and this anchors it nicely. There are subtle differences in the shape and size of the two sides of the cut-out opening and it all works to fit well over the bust…It’s very well-drafted.
Initially, I looked at the openings and thought that they should have been finished with bindings but I decided to go along with the instructions and I’m so glad I did because in hindsight bindings would have created thick ridges at the overlaps.
By following the instructions to the letter and doing a twin-needle finish instead, I’ve fallen back in love with the technique. I say back in love because previous attempts at using a twin needle resulted in many skipped stitches and much swearing. This time, however, was utter bliss. Apparently, my machine loves pure wool jersey! Who knew?

A quick word about getting a lovely no-baggy curve to those cut-outs…I used an iron-on stretchy stay tape. (This is the exact one that I bought from Sew Essential) and I ironed it on within the seam allowance, stretching it a tiny bit as I did so that there was a slight easing. The stay tape also helps the twin-needle stitching to stay even and flat.
After tackling the cut-out part of the top, the rest was plain sailing to sew. I just overlocked the seams, set the sleeves in and added a binding to the neckline.



My Terry top is a fun design and I can see it working with all silhouettes of jeans and also wide-leg trousers. It feels so nice in the wool jersey too and I’m confident it won’t pill. I find myself more and more annoyed at spending on viscose or cotton blend jerseys only to find that they look tatty after a while. I’d rather invest in lovely wools instead.
Thanks as always for stopping by my blog for a read, I really appreciate it. Let me know in the comments if you feel tempted by any Vikisews designs or if you’ve already tried them and in the meantime, I’ll see you soon.

A t-shirt with a twist is always fun to sew. Great design! I look forward to seeing more of their patterns.
Author
Thank you, Tammy! I already have some more designs on my list to sew 🙂
that looks great on you and I so agree, Vikisews patterns are really fantastic. I just made the Lora pants and I’m really impressed.
Author
Thank you, Beth. Yes, they’re well-drafted and use great techniques.
Beautiful hems! I’m bookmarking that tape for future reference. I really must try out Vikisews as I hear such good things about them and your top is perfect.
Author
Thanks, Catherine! Yes, that flexible stay tape is perfect for hems on jersey fabrics. And you should definitely try a Vikisews pattern… 🙂
Lovely coincidence-I just bought my first VikiSews pattern today (in Russian, though). I don’t know what it is with jersey–it’s ubiquitous and cheap as RTW, but it is such a pain in the butt to sew in home conditions. I’ve been accumulating a collection of tricks for dealing with it, and I really wonder what the commercial sewers know that we don’t. I suspect the answer is much better industrial machines? Maybe their jersey is treated before sewing, like starch-spray or something? I am sure they have specialized machines for sewing on binding that would be impractical to have at home…
Author
Ooh yes, coincidence! I know you’ll love using a Vikisew pattern. Sadly you’re absolutely right…jersey is a pain in the butt to sew as a home sewist I’m forever having to find ways around little problems. I bet they do have specialist industrial machines and as for a binding machine…I had the pleasure of seeing one demonstrated at a sewing weekend that I attended about 3 years ago. It was an amazing contraption and eye-wateringly expensive too!
Another wonderful top and great tip for the non baggy curves. A new pattern company for me so off to check them out.
Author
Thank you, Sharon! Yeah, I discovered Vikisews about a year ago and I’m very impressed with them.