What do we have here?  Two identical tops?  Well, they are the same fabrics, but they aren’t identical.  Let’s just call them top 1 (T1) and top 2 (T2) for now and I’ll explain more below.

As you probably guessed by the numbering, T1 (on the hanger) came first.  It’s the Balloon Sleeve Pullover from Aoi Koda’s book “My Blouses and Pullovers” [ISBN 978-4-529-05836-0].  You can see a modelled photo on Instagram.

When tracing the pattern and adding seam allowances, I altered the front and back bodice to include a 3/8″ (1cm) forward shoulder adjustment, which is a standard alteration for me.  Unfortunately, the resulting neckline and shoulder slope were all sorts of wrong for me; the neckline sat very high and the slit at the back gaped badly.

I will confess to being sad for all of a few minutes before I decided that I’d make a T2.  I had enough of the sleeve fabric left to re-cut two sleeves, but I did have to buy another body length of the blue stripes.

I placed the existing pattern on my kitchen bench and overlaid it with my TNT Wiksten Shift (see versions 1 & 2).  I then redrafted the Japanese pattern to include the shoulder slope and neckline of the Wiksten and T2 was born.

The resulting garment had me smiling from ear-to-ear.

Those with a keen eye might have realised that I made a second change to the pattern for T2.

I lengthened the sleeve to incorporate the length of the cuff and then gathered and bound the sleeve edge.  The wide elastic I used in T1 felt a little bit to heavy and cumbersome, so I was keen to find another solution.

On a scrap of fabric I mocked up the bottom of the sleeve, including the binding, to determine the desired finish sleeve width.  Once bound, the bottom of the sleeve would have no give, so it was important that it allowed for arm movement.

The little bit of time I invested in testing the sleeve alteration has paid dividends… the bound sleeves are just perfect.  Insert happy dance!

One of the things I really love about the original pattern is the hem.  It’s straight in the front and has a slight curve at the back.  Did you spot the KATM label?

T2 Pattern:  A combination of the Balloon Sleeve Pullover from Aoi Koda’s book “My Blouses and Pullovers” [ISBN 978-4-529-05836-0]  and the Wiksten Shift Dress and Top
Fabric:  Both linens from The Cloth Shop
T2 Alterations:  I used the neckline and shoulder slope of the Wiksten Shift (with a 3/8″ (1cm) forward shoulder adjustment) and the remainder of the drafting is the Balloon Sleeve Pullover.  I left off the cuffs, added 1 1/4″ (4cm) of length to the sleeve, gathered the raw edge and then bound it.
Outfit:  Jeans from Witchery and Sophie Digard brooch from Scarlet Jones.
Photo Location:  Eastern Suburbs, Melbourne