Tutorial: Bow & Whimsy Tank Top

You might remember few weeks ago I showed you my "A Bow and Whimsy Tank Top" in another post. 

Well, that same week I also shared a tutorial for the blouse over at a blog called Sunny Vanilla.
 

But just in case you missed it, today I thought I'd share the tutorial here at Crafty Critique.  You can follow me after the jump for the how-to.  Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions! :)

Tutorial: Sleeveless Bow Top

A lot of people are afraid to try and make clothing or draft their own patterns.  At least, I know I was when I first started sewing!  But a few tutorials of easy projects (like this one or this one) helped me find my bearings and I’m proud to say that I finally feel confident venturing out and making some of my own patterns.  And today I want to help you see that you can draft your own pattern and sew your own clothes, too!  Sooo….

Introducing the Sleeveless Bow Top Tutorial!  It's my first "big girl" tutorial, so bear with me (and email me if it doesn't make any sense!).

I modeled the Sleeveless Bow Top after this top I saw for sale online recently.   It’s a cute, comfortable top to finish out the summer with, and might even be great under a cardigan for the fall.  And the good news is it's made a lot like a pillowcase top so it’s just about one of the easiest garments you can sew!  I know you can do it, so follow me after the break to get started.

Sundress with a Sash

Hello my lovelies!  First off, check out my URL!  My boyfriend bought my domain for me, so my website is now craftycritique.com.  Don't worry, though.  If you type in the old URL you'll be forwarded to the new address. :)

Second, I'm sorry about kind of dropping the MayFlowers thing.  This is what happens when you don't make deadlines for yourself!  Lesson learned.  So I'll try and get some more of the flower tutorials I had in mind to you, but don't count on it or anything.  I've kind of gone off on a clothes-sewing swing and haven't been able to get back on track with the flowers.

Which brings me to today's post...

I made myself a sun dress!  (It at least has flowers on it, right?)  I originally meant for the dress to be the Little Boden Knock-Off Dress (in adult size, of course), but I didn't buy enough fabric.  I had so little fabric, in fact, that I had to leave off the sleeves and the pockets.  I couldn't even cut it A-line!
 

 But I absolutely adored the fabric and it was the very last of the bolt, so I made the dress with it anyway.  It's not exactly the Little Boden Knock-Off that I intended to make, but I think it still turned out pretty cute.  And I'm really proud because I wore the dress for the first time today and got a compliment on it from a girl who sold me ice cream.

Fun fact: I sewed the elastic in the waist before I sewed the skirt to the bodice, so there's a weird, wonky line in the middle of the dress.  Don't do that if you decide to make the Little Boden Knock-Off.  My solution?  I sewed a sash in some (semi) coordinating fabric wide enough to cover the oopsie. :)


Also, here's me pretending to be a squirell in the dress.

I'm not sure why.

I'll be back soon (hopefully) with a tutorial for you.  Unfortunately, I decided to make the tutorial at 11 o'clock at night and half the pictures turned out terrible, so I might have to re-take them.  But I'll get it to you asap.  Until then, here's a sneak-peak of what's coming up:

OooOoo!  What could it be?  It's a mystery! Check back soon to find out. :)

Until then, happy crafting.

--CC

Peasant Tops for Adults

A few weeks ago Jess over at Craftiness is not Optional shared these peasant tops she made for her daughters.  I thought the peasant blouses were adorable, and since Jess swore they were the easiest thing ever to make, I decided to give one a shot in an adult size!  I couldn't find any good adult peasant top tutorials, so I used this tutorial and this tutorial as guides to create my own adult pattern.  And it worked!

Well, sorta.  I ran into a little trouble with the sleeves.  I think I cut them wrong or sewed them wrong or something.  I never really figured it out which, so for two days the top sat on my kitchen table (where I sew) and every time I walked past it I'd say jokingly to my boyfriend, "My sleeves ain't right!"  Eventually I quit following both of the tutorials' instructions and made up my own way.  I got out my seam ripper then cut off part of the sleeves and sewed them on a different way, just for good measure.  I'm pretty sure no one's ever made sleeves like this, since the seam is on the top.  But whatever!  It worked and it fits. :)

 

 Isn't this shirt so cute?  I'm in love with the fabrics.  Can you believe I got them at Jo-Ann's?

Oh, and, by the way, since this post isn't flower-related and I'm still doing my May Flowers event, I made asked my boyfriend nicely to go with me to the botanical gardens and take pictures of me in my new shirt.  You can thank him for the photography.

Anyway...I didn't put elastic in the sleeves because I thought that was a little bit childish and I also sewed on a tie at the bottom of the blouse, a la Jess from Craftiness is Not Optional.  I didn't make the tie quite long enough to tie a bow, but I think it looks like I did it on purpose, don't you?  All I did was sew a tube that was twice as long as the circumference of the shirt.  Simple!

This was my first top to sew and I'm proud I made my own pattern, plus some adjustments to the original blouse.  I used the same technique for the tie on my peasant top as I did for the tie on my pink party skirt.  I always thought modifications to patterns would be hard to make, but I'm starting to learn that once you know a few basic skills in sewing you can mix and match to create almost anything.

The pattern I made for this definitely needs some adjustments, and I'm not sure if I can replicate the shirt again or not, but I think I'll try when I get the chance.  Who knows, maybe I'll make an adult peasant top tutorial for you!  So keep checking back if you like this shirt.  Until then, happy crafting!

--CC