Hi everybody! I’m super excited for fall but here in California we’ve been in a heat wave of 100 degrees and above. Crazy huh, in the beginning of October? I created this matching set with a sweet off-shoulder-top and high waisted shorts for the last of warm weather. The fabric is the beautiful “Cross Print” voile by Amy Butler from her new collection “Dream Weaver.” It’s super lightweight yet crisp, making it perfect for this design. I used the Coats Dual Duty General Purpose thread in #9334 Plum Shadows and a Coats 9” invisible zipper. The variegated thread adds a nice touch to all the topstitching. The shorts are actually a project from my book #OOTD Sew and Style: Make Your Dream Wardrobe with Angela so all the pattern pieces/steps are detailed in there, but I’ll be showing you how I created the top. It’s quite simple actually- it’s a strip of fabric with an elastic casing (a ruffle) sewn onto a rectangle with curves cut out for the armholes. The waistband is just another strip of fabric topstitched onto the bottom of the rectangle. The ruffle- ½” wide elastic long enough to wrap around my shoulders inserted into a casing at the top of a loop of fabric, which is just two strips of fabric sewed together. With the ruffle being over 70” long, having a rolled hem presser foot for my sewing machine made the process of hemming a breeze. It folds the fabric at an ⅛” twice as you sew to create perfect tiny hems without having to measure or press anything for a clean, professional finish. The bodice- a rectangle slightly larger than half of my bust with curves cut out of each upper corner for the armholes, cut twice from the fabric and sewed right sides together all around except for the waistline (bottom edge). Flipped inside out from the waistline and pressed so the bodice is now lined. To attach to ruffle to the bodice, I placed the ruffle over the bodice so the bodice is inside the ruffle and topstitched that down. For the waistband, I cut another long strip of fabric, folded it in half to create a skinner strip, matched the half-way point of the strip to the center of the bodice, and topstitched it down along the fold. Then I folded the raw edges of the strip in towards each other and sewed them together so there are no unfinished edges on the outside or inside of the top. Since the top ties at the back and it’s backless, there’s no closures or fastenings needed! I also wore the top out shopping with a pair of jeans and flats for a more city appropriate look. Hope you’ve enjoyed this post and are having a lovely day! x angela
