Sewing Pattern
Sophia Top
We were drawn to seersucker stripes for Amanda Walker’s off-the-shoulder number, designed with hot sunny days in mind! What’s more, this simple Bardot style is only six steps, so you can run it up during the morning to relax in for the afternoon, with the cased elastic top band allowing you to cover up or cool off.
Essentials
Essentials
- Fabric: 2m (130cm)
- Elastic, 2.5cm wide
Sizes
- 8-24
Cutting guide
- Front: cut one on the fold
- Back: cut one on the fold
- Sleeve: cut one pair
- 1cm seam allowance used throughout, unless otherwise stated.
Download and print the pattern from sewmag.co.uk, then follow the cutting guide. Match together the curved edge of each sleeve to the curved armhole of the front and back pieces, right sides together; pin, then stitch together. Neaten the seam allowance of the adjacent curved pieces together for each seam, then press towards the centrefront and back.
With the top flat, neaten all the way around the edge of the front in one continuous line. Start from the base of one front sleeve, down the side seam, around the curved corners at the base of the top, then back up the opposite side seam and along to the base edge of the opposite sleeve. Repeat for the back.
Match the front and back pieces, right sides together, then match and pin the underarm seams of the sleeves and the side seams of the front and back. Stitch from the base of the sleeves and down the side seams to the notches. Press the seams open.
Fold and press in 1cm, then another 3.5cm around the raw neck edge of the top. Pin, then edge-stitch in place to create a channel, leaving a small gap in the centre-back of the top to insert the elastic. On each sleeve, fold and press to the wrong side 1cm, then another 5cm around the base, pin and edge-stitch in place. Fold and press 4cm back to the right side to form a cuff.
Wrap a length of elastic around your arms and across your shoulders, then stretch it until it feels comfortable; mark this point. Add another 2cm, then cut the elastic. Using a safety pin attached to one end, thread it all the way through the channel entering and exiting through the gap left in the centre-back stitching line.
Overlap the two ends of elastic and stitch together. Tuck the elastic back into the channel, smooth out and sew the channel closed. Fold and press in 1cm around the curved front and back hem, then edge-stitch in place.