way back in July during our summer trip to Texas i picked up a rayon crepe from the Common Thread whilst fabric shopping with Susan and Dixie. i wanted to use a pattern with a simple shape because, frankly, this fabric was kind of difficult to work with. despite the nice crepe texture, it was still pretty shifty! i had never used a rayon crepe before, so this fabric was new to me.
i decided to use see kate sew’s zippy top pattern for it’s simplicity and layer-ability. but, i thought it would be fun to give the top a little interest, so i added a slightly drop waisted ruffle/peplum. the whole peplum trend has kinda passed me by—i like the peplum, but i don’t like the idea of a fitted waist for an everyday, running errands, kinda top. this hits below my waist and is nice and loose, so i get both a cute top and a comfortable one. double win! i got the idea of the loose pepruffle (we’re just gonna call it that since it doesn’t totally square into either the peplum or ruffle category, mmm’k?) from mccalls 6793 which i have used twice before (bow neck blouse and silk blouse). i haven’t made the pepruffle variation yet, but i always liked it. it was an easy change—i just snagged the pepruffle pattern piece and used the pattern as a guide for where to make the waist seam. it totally worked out and i just love how swingy this top is!
as you can see, i left out the zip and went with a long teardrop-shaped opening, closed with a button and loop. also, when i first wore the top, i was getting some drag lines at the neckline from the facing. my facing may be a little too stiff, so it wasn’t playing nice with the shell. to fix this i went back and topstitched at about 3/4″ from the neckline so they would hold together better. thanks to the texture of the fabric, the topstitching is barely noticeable.
this top ends up being so much fun to wear because it’s swingy and a little different. it works with jeans, but would also pair well with leggings or skinny trousers. and yeah, i really, really like it with my blazer. sorry for sticking that blazer in every single post lately, but it really gets a workout in the fall!
—lisa g.