How To: Basic Jersey Tie Front Crop Top with Flared Sleeves

Zanzibar collection, part 2. This turned out to be such a versatile piece - Good not only as a top by itself, but for sun protection over a swimsuit, and also as a mosquito guard over a dress at night🙌

Tutorials take a lot of time & effort to create, and I choose to make mine available for free. If you enjoy this guide, you can support me with a donation that feels right for you, here.

TOOLS:

Light jersey (1 m full width, 1.5 half-width)  |  Thread & sewing machine  |  Scissors  |  Pins

I. Cut top pieces with measurements (2 of each since I made the top lined, too flimsy in single layer). Since this is a wrap style, the measurements are good for size down and up from me, so EU34/US2-EU38/US8).

II. First I took the front parts, placed right sides facing, pinned the below edges, and sewed them, but only down the front from the shoulder seam, around the tie-front part, leaving about 25 cm of the hem from the side unsewn..

.. Then turning right side out and pressing. So I had two weird duck foot looking things.

III. Then I used the curve on the front piece to guide cutting the sleeves. Note that the 32 cm edge is the fold.

IV. Next the shoulder seams. I pinned and sewed..

.. Then did a flat-felled seam - cut one seam allowance half shorter than the other, folded the longer one over the shorter one, pinned down, and stitched over - to have a clean seam on right side and reverse.

V. This next part was impossible to photograph so it would make sense, but I first sewed the sides on both layers (here's where not having sewed the hem on the front pieces helps), then the hem all around (by pulling the layers through the sleeve opening so I could face right side on right side). It involved a bit of spacial thinking to make sure all seams ended up in between the two layers.  

VI. Then took my sleeve piece, did the sleeve under seam. Measured the hem, multiplied by 1.5 and cut a narrow slither of fabric that length, width about 6 cm. Finished one long edge of the piece with a double fold, then added a basting stitch on the other long edge, gathered until the length matched the sleeve hem. Attached the ruffle to the sleeve and sewed the sleeve under seam.

VII. Finally set the sleeve in its place, pinned, and sewed, finishing the raw edge with my serger (or zig-zag).

I don't know why I've been against working with jersey.. so soft, doesn't look cheap like I always thought when put into a garment like this, and definitely not as bad to work with as I've always told myself!

Did I mention it's SUPER soft?

xo,

Julia