When I heard that one of my colleague’s child is having health problems, I wanted to help. As there was not much to do do, other than letting her know I’m there for her, I thought that if I make him something it will at least bring a little smile on his face.

And so the journey into making a couple of tops started. He is a massive fan of Mario and Luigi characters, so I wanted to incorporate them in my make. Gee, the only place I managed to find some stretch cotton with Mario and Luigi was on eBay. The fabric came all the way from Hong Kong (I am glad that I managed to find it). I was sure that among my many magazines I’ll find a pattern or two that it was suitable for what I was after. Many magazines later, I settled on the Jacky V pattern (Made by Jack’s Mum) The Short Sleeves version was offered as a free download on Love Sewing magazine issue 27. I found the other pattern in Burda Style issue 11 from 2009.

Initially, the plan was to make only one top, but I ended up making two of them. One with short sleeves and one with long sleeves. For the neckband and hems bands, I used plain red jersey.  For the top with the set in sleeves, I used a cotton tape to strengthen the shoulder seam. 

The main part of the construction was done on the overlocker and the sewing machine was used for finishing.

With the BurdaStyle top, although I remembered to add the seam allowance to the main body and sleeve pieces, I failed to do the same with the neck and hem bands. Ups! So they were a little smaller than expected. Got to remember if I am making this again I’d need to add the seam allowance to them as well. The good news is that my mistake did not ruin the finished top.

I’ve been told that the little boy loves them both. Phew! I know that’s not much but I am grateful that with my sewing skills I managed to bring a smile to someone.