My sewing skills are still very much in the ‘extreme beginner’ realm (remember my maxi skirt fail?). That said, I have since managed to make a maxi skirt win! But I’m afraid that’s not what today’s post is about. It’s actually about an experiment with the remaining cloth from the maxi skirt. I had about 90 cm x 100 cm of cloth left so decided to make a top!
I don’t know about you but I love this new style of ‘box’ cut tops out in the shops, with a very wide body to the top and cropped size. They’re so comfy to wear! I love the bagginess. And being essentially a giant rectangle with sleeves I thought: I can do this….right? With my blog in mind and fellow sewing extreme beginners- I decided to experiment and really simplify things (mainly to make sure the tricky step of ‘inserted sleeves’ is avoided!). And also, why lie, I really wanted a cropped tee to go with my growing collection of maxi skirts!
So here’s my tutorial for my box cropped t-shirt:
And being the sweet lil pomegranate I am (chuckle) I’ve actually made you a print-from-your-computer template!
Template pattern for box cropped T-shirt: Cropped t-shirt pattern
It’s for the size t-shirt I’ve made which is size 8-10 (UK), with a 1.5cm seam allowance. For increasing sizes add an inch all around (e.g. size 12, add 1 inch to the pattern, size 14->2 inches etc). I’m sure it can be downsized for kids/tweens/teens too.
Instructions
- Print out the template (borderless if you can) and stick the pieces of paper together to make the template.
- Cut out the template along the black solid line (along line a on page 3 for the neckline for the back piece).
- Draw around the template onto your cloth and cut out the shape. This is the back.
- Cut along line b on page 3, giving you the neckline for the front piece. Repeat step 3.
- Pin together the two pieces with the right sides facing (i.e. inside out).
- Sew along dashed lines c, d, eand f.
- Turn the top out so it’s the right side out (i.e. the opposite to ‘inside out’?!).
- Fold over at the dotted lines and hem the sleeves and bottom of the top. You can adjust these to be as long/short sleeved, or cropped/non-cropped as you like.
- Fold over and hem the neckline.
Sorry for the lack of neckline photos! Hijab gets in the way. Whoops! What I like about this pattern is that it’s simple and versatile. You could make it have a dropped hem at the back, or try making it a v-neck. You could use patterned material or embellish the front.
I hope that’s simple enough for you fellow beginners to give it a go! Originally I was going to add an Aztec style trim to the bottom of mine but decided to leave it plain so I can accessorise it with different necklaces and change the look. I think it would make a great project especially for those little bits of cloth you have left over and hoarded in a drawer. And besides, who doesn’t love an old school crop t-shirt?
Now, I’m off to hunt for more scraps of cloth to expand my wardrobe with…
love,
little pomegranate
Great job! I like it paired with the yellow skirt & red scarf- you look like Snow White.
Ha ha! Amazing! How did I not notice that? Love it 😀
I really like it….the whole outfit is just perfect 🙂 mb
Thanks! 😀
Hi! I’ve really enjoyed looking through your blog, so I’ve nominated you for a Liebster Award: http://sewanotherday.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/liebster-award/
Oh wow!! Thanks so much. That’s really kind of you. Eek, ‘Liebster award’, another thing to explain to the family over dinner! I will start on my quest to find 11 more blogs to pass it on to and reply to your nomination too 😀
Looks good! I’m with the other commentor- the ‘snow white’ color scheme is a great combination.
Question: what camera do you use? I love the crisp and high quality of your photos.
Hi Maryam,
Thanks for the comment! For this particular post I actually used a Nikon D5100 DSLR which we bought just before going on our travels in East Africa. Normally (apart from the spiderweb rose tutorial which was my iphone) I use my Panasonic Lumix TZ10, a point and shoot digital camera. It’s a couple of years old now so they’ve got a new version out. But it’s the camera I reach for for photos for the blog- just because it’s so easy to use (especially on intelligent mode)! I’ve not quite got the hang of the SLR.
Hope that helps 🙂
Hey been following you for a while now, just wanted you to know that I have nominated you for a versatile blog award.
Oh thank you for the nomination! That’s so sweet of you! I hope I keep the blog worthy of the award. I’ll definitely abide by the rules and pass it on once I get some time between revision! Thanks again- you’ve made my day 😀
you are very welcome keep up the great work!