Sew a Top With This One of a Kind Design

Tools and materials:

• Fabric
• Sewing machine
• Measuring tape
• Fabric chalk
• Pins

Take measurements

Measure the width of your high bust and measure your desired length- from the high bust to the bottom. Also, measure your shoulder length for the straps. I wanted mine below my waist. Yup, that's all you'll need to sew a simple top!

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If you're wearing a bra, then that would help with estimating the strap length.

Make the pattern piece

This is a super simple and easy pattern piece. Once you've taken your own measurements, use the top image as a guide on how to make the top.

This is the pattern for the neckline.

And here are the measurements for the straps.

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For ease of use, convert these measurements to inches by using this tool.

Cut the pattern

Using the above pattern as a guide, measure the pattern, and cut the actual fabric to make these pattern pieces.

Make the straps

Fold the rectangle in half, right sides facing together. Then, sew the straps right on the long edge. Turn them inside out with the help of a safety pin, and finally, topstitch the two long edges on both sides.

Gather the top

Using the longest stitch row on your sewing machine, sew two evenly straight lines across the edge of your main fabric. Next, pull the thread and gather the fabric to create a lovely ruffle effect.

Make sure to gather the fabric so that it fits to the length of the neckline piece.

Attach the neckline

With right sides together, pin and sew the neckline to the body of the top. Leave about 2.5cm (1 inch) on each edge unsewn.

Next, fold the neckline over and sew again inside the existing seam. For this step, do a topstitch from the right side of the fabric.

Assemble the top

Pin the center-back seams of the whole top but leave around 5cm on top. This will be for the little split so that there's enough room to fit the top over your head. Finish your seams. I overlocked mine but using a zigzag stitch will work just as fine.

Fold the edges of the split, by 1cm (0.4 inches) and stitch it down. This will give your top a nice, polished look.

Create the fastening

Next, make the fastening for the back of the blouse. To make the fastening, simply cut a piece of elastic that's a little smaller than the circumference of your button. Next, cover the elastic with some fabric to make it look prettier. Do this by sewing a small piece of fabric and feed the elastic through. This step is totally optional, though.

Install the button and fastener

Sandwich the little fastener in between the layers of the neckline. Also, manually sew your button on the other side of the neckline, making sure the location corresponds accordingly.

Topstitch the ends of the neckline to finish off the top.

Add the straps

Try on your blouse and put on the straps so that the position will be the way you want. Pin the straps in place, as shown.

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For me, the straps in front were placed straight. But, at the back, I had to place them at an angle. This is totally fine as I wanted them sitting flush to my skin.

To sew the straps to the top, do a lovely top stitch all the way around the top edge of the neckline.

Hem the bottom

Don't forget to hem your top! I did a double folded hem; I rolled it up by 0.5 cm, (0.2 inches) stitched, and repeated the process.

There you have it, you've got a lovely, printed top. Now that you know how to sew a basic top, what colors or prints will you choose? I really feel this is an amazing tutorial for any sewing enthusiast. If you're a beginner, it's great to practice your pattern cutting and sewing skills, too. Thanks for reading!