Summer tops

April 9, 2017 Stacy

These are some summer tops that I drafted/hacked from either patterns I made previously, or by using the Sneha by Wardrobe by Me.

I used my style sheet that I put together from tops I found on Pinterest:

Then, I went back and looked at more tops.

Here is the first one. I modified a swing tank I drafted a few years ago. This fits pretty well, but needs some more room under the arms, so that is the only thing I would change on it.

It is made from athletic mesh (black), cotton lycra (white bands) and an iron on vinyl design I cut with my Silhouette.

You can find the cut file for this top here.

This next one would have probably worked better with a lighter jersey knit. I do still really like it, though. I drafted a dolman sleeve t-shirt from a RTW version that I really like. The arms a little too tight on this one, too, so that is the only modifications I would make to it. I cut up the pattern with a 3″ section in upper top that I used a white mesh.

This black top is my version of a tank with mesh inserts and different cuts. I used the Sneha top as a base for this one. I just traced out the pattern, and cut it up where I thought it would look good. When I was cutting out the pieces I added the seam allowance. I was a little concerned with the sturdiness of the lace, but I think the bands will work well like this.

This grey top is my own fabric design, printed on Modern Jersey from Spoonflower. The pattern is my draped cowl top, only I shaved about an inch from the shoulders.

This red top used another pattern I had drafted previously. I added some ruffles and a deep cut back to add visual interest to it.

Here are some pictures of the ruffles in process. The pieces were about 20″ long for the wide, less gathered ruffle, and 40″ long for the very gathered ruffle. I pinned them well, attached the shoulders together and then put the band on it in two steps. First I attached it to the front of the tank, then I turned the hem under and stitched it again. For the back I included clear elastic in it, so it wouldn’t stretch out. This is a jersey knit, so it doesn’t have great recovery. Lastly I attached the tubes for the back.