Cotton Fabric: Ebay £1.75 Lace Trim: leftover from previous project
This top, made for my May DIY attempt, ended up being one of the most difficult DIY's I've attempted, despite me thinking it would work out being one of the easier ones. I didn't use any guidelines for this, I simply made it up as I went along, and the benefits of doing that are that you don't get too mired in instructions, but on the flip side you might end up missing out part of the process along the way.
The first thing I did wrong in this DIY was to cut a top on the flat when I should have cut it on the fold. I made a paper pattern using a vest top which I particularly liked the neckline of; I have struggled in the past with creating necklines to be the right size so this was an easy way around it.
However, I cut it on the flat and so when I had the two pattern pieces laid out, they wouldn't join up at the sides; I probably could have got away with this if I'd used a stretch fabric but because I used cotton, it just didn't work. So I had to put some vents in under the arms to allow the top to fit (important as it is a pull on style, with no zips or buttons.) I did work it out in the end but next time I am going to try to cut it correctly so that I don't make extra work for myself!
These projects are totally for my own enjoyment, I am really learning a lot and I think it's good to sometimes do things incorrectly so that you can learn, from that, how to do it right. I use inexpensive fabric and so it's not too much of an issue if anything doesn't turn out quite right; I'm also not adverse to chopping things up to make them better, ie, cutting dresses I've made up to make tops if I'm not feeling the look of the dress. That's the best thing about making your own clothing, you can change and adapt any designs to make them your own!
I wanted to make a little summer co-ord set to wear and this is the top for it, it's slightly cropped, well, comes to the natural waistline so I am next going to attempt to make some shorts, which is definitely the biggest project I've tackled so far so I will use instructions for that! I am going to m`ke them from a paisley fabric I think, which will look quite sweet against the paler top.
I finished the top by trimming it in some leftover lace trim I had from a previous project and (badly) hemmed the edges, which I did without pressing them first (hence why they are a bit wonky.) Again, something I've learned!
Overall, I was pleased with how this turned out!
XO Amie
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