Boxy Top Pattern Maker
A boxy top has a straight body and drop shoulders, so it is roomy and forgiving. Enter your chest measurement and the length, or start from a size from XS to XXL; the front, back and sleeve are drawn with generous ease.
Choose a round, V or boat neckline, sleeves from none to long, a cropped, hip or tunic length, side slits, and patch, chest or kangaroo pockets.
Make it yours: Lengthen or shorten at the marked lines (cut across and spread, or fold out the difference), widen or narrow at the side seams, make the neckline deeper or wider, change the sleeve length, and add a pocket or slits. Check every seam you change still matches the one it joins.
Make this pattern in your size →What you can change
Size
- Chest / bust: 70–160 cm (27½–63″). Around the fullest part of the chest, tape level. Your body measurement; the pattern adds the ease.
- Shoulder to hip: 40–90 cm (15¾–35⅜″). From the top of the shoulder, beside the neck, straight down the front to the fullest part of the hips.
Sizes are typed in centimetres, millimetres or inches. The starting size is Chest / bust 96 cm (37¾″), Shoulder to hip 63 cm (24¾″).
Options
- Length: cropped, hip or tunic
- Neckline: round, V or boat
- Neck finish: bias binding or bias facing
- Sleeves: none, cap, short, elbow or long
- Shoulders: shoulder seams or cut in one
- Pockets: none, chest, patch or kangaroo
- Corners: square, rounded or angled
- Switches: Side slits, Flap
- Measurements and counts: Ease at the chest · Finished length · Neckline width · Front neck depth · Sleeve length · Armhole, all round · Sleeve hem, all round · Slit length · How many · Hand width · Pocket width · Pocket depth · Pocket position
Starting points
These are sizes and settings to begin from, and every one stays fully editable. Type your own measurements, or start from the nearest one.
| Starting point | Finished size, cm | Same starting point in round inches |
|---|---|---|
| XS | Chest 98 cm · length 60 cm · short sleeves | Chest ≈38¼″ · length 23½″ · short sleeves |
| S | Chest 104 cm · length 61 cm · short sleeves | Chest ≈41¼″ · length 24″ · short sleeves |
| M | Chest 112 cm · length 63 cm · short sleeves | Chest ≈44¼″ · length 25″ · short sleeves |
| L | Chest 120 cm · length 64 cm · short sleeves | Chest ≈47¼″ · length 25″ · short sleeves |
| XL | Chest 130 cm · length 65 cm · short sleeves | Chest ≈51¼″ · length 25½″ · short sleeves |
| XXL | Chest 140 cm · length 66 cm · short sleeves | Chest ≈55¼″ · length 26″ · short sleeves |
Cutting list
At the starting size (Chest / bust 96 cm (37¾″), Shoulder to hip 63 cm (24¾″)) the pattern has these pieces. Fabric sizes include seam allowance, interfacing is cut to the stitching line, and pieces cut on the fold are shown opened out. Each size is the width and height of the piece as cut.
| Piece | Fabric | Cut | Size to cut | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Main fabric | 1 on the fold | up to 58 × 67.1 cm (up to ≈22⅞ × ≈26⅜″) | Shaped: cut from the printed piece |
| Back | Main fabric | 1 on the fold | up to 58 × 67.1 cm (up to ≈22⅞ × ≈26⅜″) | Shaped: cut from the printed piece |
| Drop-shoulder sleeve | Main fabric | 2 | up to 44.72 × 18.3 cm (up to ≈17⅝ × ≈7¼″) | Shaped: cut from the printed piece |
| Neck binding | Main fabric | 2 | 7 × 37 cm (2¾ × ≈14⅝″) | Strip: cut by measurement |
You will also need: Thread. The cover page and materials list give the amounts for your size.
The maker’s fabric estimate at this size: Main fabric about 1.6 m of 112 cm fabric.
How it goes together
These are the maker’s own instructions at the starting size. They change with the options you pick, and the PDF carries the full set with the cover, cutting list and materials list.
- Sew a quick trial top first, in cheap fabric (an old sheet or calico is fine). Sew only the main seams with a long stitch and skip the finishing. Try it on and check the width across the chest, the length, that the neckline goes over your head easily, and that you can lift your arms. Change the size, ease or lengths here and print again if needed, then cut your good fabric.
- Staystitch the neckline of the front and back: a line of ordinary stitching 0.3 cm inside the edge, so the curve can’t stretch while you work.
- Put the front and back right sides together and sew the shoulder seams at 1 cm. Finish the allowances together and press them toward the back.
- Make the binding: join the strips on the diagonal, right sides together, press the seams open, then press the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.
- Bind the neckline: with raw edges level, sew the folded strip to the right side 1 cm from the edge, starting 2.5 cm in from one end of the strip and stopping the same distance short; join the strip's ends on the diagonal to fit, then sew the gap. Wrap the fold over the raw edge to the back and stitch in the ditch of the first seam from the front, catching the fold behind.
- Open the top out flat, right side up. Pin each sleeve’s top edge to an armhole edge, right sides together, with the sleeve’s notch on the shoulder and its ends on the armhole notches. Sew at 1 cm, finish the allowances together and press them toward the sleeve.
- Fold it right sides together at the shoulders. Sew each side in one seam, from the sleeve hem, round the underarm, down to the hem, at 1 cm. Clip the allowance at the underarm corner, finish the allowances and press them toward the back.
- Sleeve hems: turn the edge under by 0.6 cm, then by 1.5 cm, and stitch close to the inner fold.
- Hem: turn the bottom edge under by 0.6 cm, then by 2.5 cm, and stitch close to the inner fold.
Fabric suggestions
Outer: Light to medium fabrics with a little drape: cotton lawn, poplin, chambray, linen, double gauze, viscose or rayon challis. Jersey or interlock for a knit version.
Lining: Unlined. Edges are finished with hems, a casing, a facing or binding cut from the same fabric.
Interfacing, padding or other layers: No interfacing. Finish the raw edges inside with a zigzag or overlocker as you sew each seam.
How each fabric family suits it
- Stable woven: great choice. Easiest to sew and press. Prewash: cotton and linen shrink.
- Heavy or stiff: possible, with care. Stands away from the body and makes a bulky neckline. Fine for a boxy overshirt in light denim or canvas; choose the facing rather than binding.
- Stretchy knit: works well. Comfortable and doesn’t fray. The roomy shape doesn’t rely on stretch; use a stretch stitch and don’t pull the fabric as it feeds.
- Slippery or fine: possible, with care. Drapes beautifully but shifts as you cut and sew. Cut single layer, pin within the allowance, and use a fine sharp needle.
The maker’s advice adjusts to the fabric family you pick in the Fabric tab.
Printing it
At the starting size the printed pieces take 12 A4 pages, taped together using the page labels, alignment marks and page map. For a print shop, choose a sheet from A0 to a 36″ roll: the pieces are packed onto as few sheets as they will fit on, and if one is too big for the sheet the maker says so. How printing, tiling and the test square work.
Frequently asked questions
Will it fit me perfectly?
No promise of that. This is a simple pattern with generous ease, not a precisely fitted one. Measure yourself, compare your measurements with the pieces, change the lengths and widths to suit you, and sew a trial version in cheap fabric first.
What size can I make?
The boxy top pattern takes chest / bust from 70–160 cm (27½–63″); shoulder to hip from 40–90 cm (15¾–35⅜″). It starts at Chest / bust 96 cm (37¾″), Shoulder to hip 63 cm (24¾″), and you can work in centimetres, millimetres or inches. There are 6 starting points to begin from (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL). Every starting point stays fully editable.
Which fabric suits the boxy top pattern?
Light to medium fabrics with a little drape: cotton lawn, poplin, chambray, linen, double gauze, viscose or rayon challis. Jersey or interlock for a knit version. In the maker’s fabric advice, stable woven is a great choice; stretchy knit works well; heavy or stiff and slippery or fine are possible with care.