When I first started this project; honestly, I never thought it’d get off the ground. I kept thinking somewhere along the way, for one reason or another, it just wouldn’t work. But against all odds it all came together and for the first time in my sewing journey I felt like I really had a knack for this.
So, I decided I'd break it down for you guys. And show you how I designed and put together this patchwork top; step by step, so that you too can make your own clothes.
Design sketches:
The first thing I do when I have an idea for a new design is to hop on Pinterest and get some inspiration. Once I have that, I then immediately start to jot down quick sketches of what I want the top to look like and the prominent features I want it to have. When designing I knew I wanted it to be:
Slightly cropped
Long sleeved
Contrast stitching
Materials:
Whenever I decide to make a new piece of clothing, the materials themselves always come from sustainable and ethical means. A few months ago, my mother gifted a whole pile of old clothes and fabrics she doesn’t wear anymore. So, most of the things I make are simply, slightly altered or tailored to fit. However, this top was the first to be completely made from old fabric scraps. They are the remnants of clothes that are already cropped or altered; repurposed into a new garment. I cut the 4 different leftover fabric into 11x11 cm square patches; allowing 1mm for sew allowance.
Measurements:
When designing and sketching I knew that it’d need a lot of different measurements to be able to make this top, such as:
Pit to pit: 38mm
Shoulder to wrist: 60mm
Shoulder to waist: 44mm
Pit to waist: 28mm
Bust diameter: 42mm
Shoulder diameter: 33mm
Wrist diameter: 17m
Sewing:
I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m this amazing sewing goddess who knows exactly what she is doing because honestly, I don’t. I don’t even own a sewing machine so this whole top was made by hand. I firstly had to sew together to patches needed for the front torso, back torso and the sleeves before sewing them together with the bright yellow contrast stitching for an extra touch.
Final product:
I’m very happy with how this top turned out, I think it’ll be a great addition to my winter closet since I have a thousand vests and strappy tops but barely any long sleeves! This project took a lot of blood sweat and tears, but I like to believe the best ones always do.
Mo xo