Free Sewing Pattern: Dolman Sleeve Top

 

The line drawing, if you can even call it that, it's so sketchy.

Here it is, as promised: my dolman-sleeved knit top! As I mentioned before, this is part of my Remaking and Replacing the RTW series; I'm slowly going through my ready-to-wear wardrobe and trying to replace some of the most well-loved (read: falling apart, pilling, and stretched out beyond recognition) pieces with me-made versions. This top was meant to improve on a cheap orange top that I bought a couple years ago from a random Asian boutique (like Forever 21, except that I'm a size large since all the clothes are meant for tiny petite Asian girls) near my house in San Francisco.
My pattern for this top was easy to draw up; I just needed to take a few measurements and figure out how much longer I wanted the sleeves and torso. Sewing it up is easy too -- if the knit is behaving I can be done, from cutting to final wearable garment, in about 1.5 hours.

Since drawing up the pattern, I've already made three incarnations of this top, and I wear them constantly! This style is so versatile, just a little girly while still providing the range of motion and comfort and layerability that I need here in the city. I like that it's blousy enough to accommodate a cami underneath, but fitted enough that it's not too bulky under a coat. And I've made it in three different types of material, just so I can be sure it works for sweatshirt material, tissue-like knits with very little stretch/recovery, and extra-stretchy, stable knit with some spandex content. Final verdict: it works for all of them!

Aqua version in some mystery blend sweatshirt material from a discount fabric store in Oakland Chinatown, $2. Warm and vaguely sporty, but less sloppy/boring/I've-given-up-looking than a real sweatshirt.

One of those ultra-flimsy, thin cotton knits with relatively little stretch/recovery, in a cute purple/fuschia floral. Check out how real the neckband finishing looks! The dolman sleeve isn't very obvious when my arm is down, but it provides for some lovely air circulation when it's warm outside, as it was when I took these pictures in the East Bay.

Probably my favorite version, and also my last version, in a very busy blue/tan floral print knit with some spandex content, as it is very stretchy (but also very stable). From up close, the flowers look a lot like the meeples from Carcassonne.

Once I drew up my pattern and realized how easy it is, I decided I should try my hand at grading my pattern for different sizes. Thankfully, Casey of Elegant Musings just did a series on pattern grading. I looked up the size charts of several RTW companies just to get an idea of their measurements for XS-XL, then cut and expanded and redrew my pattern piece. Yes, that's right, pattern piece, singular. I hate it when printable patterns take dozens and dozens of pages to print, not to mention taping all the pages together...so I made mine fit on just eight pages, although you'll still need to follow the directions for cutting rectangles to finish the neckline, sleeves, and hem. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I should let you all know that I've only tested the small size; sew any of the other sizes at your own risk! I mean, I'm pretty sure they should work, with maybe some small adjustments for your particular body type, but hey, it's a free pattern, what do you expect? ;) Anyway, if you sew this up, please drop me an email or comment to let me know! I'd love to see how this works out for you, and if there are any issues that I can fix.

[ETA: As it turns out, apparently my arms are ultra-spindly, as several people have said that the arm bands needed to be widened significantly. Okay, point taken, I need to work out more before I draft more patterns based on my own measurements! ;) Also, apparently the neckline can be a little wide -- even a tiny bit of stretching out might make it unwearable. I always knew I had wide shoulders (it's one of the things I can reliably count on my grandmother to comment on), and the pattern is meant to just barely cover my bra straps, so it's totally understandable that this might be too much for some/most people. So take note, it might be a good idea to cut the neckline smaller and then enlarge it later if necessary. If you've had the misfortune of already cutting it too wide, might I suggest a center pleat to bring it in?]

Instructions (with a color picture tutorial, no less!)

Pattern (hand-drawn, since I don't know how to do this on computer, in XS-XL)

If you saw the colorblocking of the inspiration top, you'll obviously realize that I didn't bother with that in my remakes. I didn't have any solid-colored knits to work with, but if you want to try it, just cut the pattern piece into three separate parts, as shown below, and just add seam allowances before you cut and sew your fashion fabric.

On my inspiration top, the sleeve and hem bands, neckband, and upper right quadrant were all orange,
and the other sleeve was white and the bottom left section was gray.

I'm not going to write up my usual summary, since I've already listed the fabrics and time and skills required either in the picture captions above or in the instructions. And my final thoughts are that this pattern is quickly becoming my favorite, and that several people who are not my husband have already commented on the cuteness of this top, which I think is a positive sign. I think this is a good start to R&RtRTW, unwieldy abbreviation notwithstanding!

Showing my excitement with a jumping picture, inspired by all of Leah's.