I’m on vacation this week but I didn’t want to miss out on the fun of a release with my Mermaids!  I do feel for those girls right now, because their website decided to take a major dump on them and they’ve been working super hard to get it back up and running.  I’m going to be linking the patterns through their main site, but currently they do have them offered on their Etsy site.  So not all is lost!  You can still get your hands on these pretty patterns!

The Catherine is such a FUN pattern!  I have this habit of hoarding alllllll of my scrap fabrics, even when I know they’ll never fit as an actual pattern piece.  But I’m so glad I did that, because now I have a reason to use them!  The yoke accent on the Catherine top is perfect for my scrap hoarding ways.

There are a ton of options packed into this pattern, of course.  Two yoke necklines (scoop and square), three sleeve lengths (short, 3/4 and long), extra flounce options for the sleeve (regular and high-low), and four hem lengths (top, tunic, dress and curved dress).  You can mix-match these options till you drop.

First up for me was the tunic length, scoop neck yoke, in 3/4 length sleeves.  I was sent this delightful burnout velvet fabric (from Sly Fox Fabrics) and I NEEDED to turn it into the yoke on this top.  I used the binding method to finish the neckline and just adore how it turned out.

I think that the yoke adds a little extra flair to the top, and kind of kicks it up a notch from a standard tee.  But the construction of it remains super simple, so it’s like a secret weapon.  We are heading into the holiday season and this is a perfect way to have a “dressier” top, but still in knits.  Plus it’s super forgiving and you can eat allllll the Thanksgiving/Christmas goodies.

My other top was made during pre-testing.  So some teeny changes were made, but the idea still exists so I wanted to take pictures of it anyway.  I believe the yoke was moved in a smidge and the high/low flounce on the sleeve was turned and adjusted a little.  Otherwise it’s pretty close to the finals!

I don’t know why, but I was so excited about the flounce on the sleeve.  How freaking fun is it to have that little extra flair on your sleeve?  Usually little girls get all the extra frills, and I am excited that I get to have it on my top too!  I am totally stealing the flounce and adding it to my other non-Catherine patterns as well.  Game on.

This version has the square neckline on it.  I can’t honestly say that I have a ton of tops with this neckline, and it’s a fun change to have in my closet.  This is a great example of me actually using my random scraps of fabric that I’ve failed to throw out, as the yoke is one from my stash of smaller pieces of knit that has been floating around my sewing space for a while.

I’m not one that is against neckbands or other types of finishing your neckline, but sometimes it’s nice to just do a simple lining on your tops and call it a day.  The yoke provides for small amounts of fabric used, and not having to bind or stitch neckband pieces to finish it.  I self-lined the yoke, gathered the bodice, sewed all the pieces together and was ready to rock.  Easy peasy, right?

**As always, you’ll find some affiliate links scattered within my post, which means I receive a small amount of compensation if you end up purchasing something I’ve recommended.  Thanks for helping to feed my sewing habits!