Sabrina: FreeSewing's sports top
Designer Notes
I designed Sabrina as a sports top/bra pattern. It provides light to medium support, but please note that the fit and compression depend heavily on the fabric used. The default ease is on the low/comfortable side. If you need or prefer more compression, consider increasing the stretch to more than 20% and using a fabric with a higher compression rating.
Sabrina is technically unisex. I made some prototypes using my own (male) body measurements and I like wearing them when I go running. They reduce chafing and chest bounce and provide comfortable compression.
You may also be able to use Sabrina as a chest binder if you use a stiffer fabric and the right ease settings, but please be careful and don’t hurt yourself with too much compression.
Sabrina was developed from Breanna-based prototypes, but the actual construction is independent and straightforward. Essentially, it’s a rectangle with holes for the arms and head, plus a few darts to shape it to your body and reduce excess fabric. You can view the construction by enabling the ‘Base’ part in the Core settings under ‘Only Include Selected Pattern Parts’.
If you have previously made patterns with curved seams and stretchy fabric such as Shin or Bruce, you should find this top straightforward to make.
I hope you find this pattern helpful.
Jonathan
What You Need
To make Sabrina, you will need the following:
- Basic sewing supplies
- A serger (overlock machine) is highly recommended
- Around 0.8 metres (0.9 yards) of suitable fabric
- An elastic band, 2–3 cm or about an inch wide, to go around your waist
Fabric Options
This pattern is designed to work with two-way-stretch fabric.
Look for a fine, soft, comfortable synthetic sports jersey with about 20–25% spandex that stretches well in both directions.
If you don’t want to use it for sports, some cotton content is fine, too.
I recommend using the same fabric for both layers, but you can use some expensive printed fabric on the outside whilst using less expensive fabric for the lining. You can also use softer, more skin-friendly fabric for the lining. Your choice.
For prototypes, you can use some old t-shirt fabric or other inexpensive cotton jersey, as long as it is stretchy enough.
Cutting Instructions
Sabrina’s body is designed to be sewn twice and then used double layered with the seams hidden between both layers. Therefore, you need twice the fabric of what you would normally expect.
If you prefer a thinner top, don’t mind open seams or just want to create a prototype, you can just use a single layer instead and skip the lining.
Main fabric
- Cut 1 front part
- Cut 1 back part
- Cut 2 side parts
- Cut 1 waistband part
- Cut 3 strips of fabric to finish the two armholes and the neck (optional, refer to instructions)
Lining fabric (or also main fabric)
- Cut 1 front part
- Cut 1 back part
- Cut 2 side parts