Pattern Review… Emma's Chambray Wrap Skirt and Top

Pattern Reviews

6 Oct

Emma @Happysew16 kindly agreed to write a review of her make after testing the Wrap Skirt pattern. Emma received this pattern to make and review with no obligation. The opinions shared are all her own.

“I used some gorgeous dark blue chambray to make the Wrap Skirt pattern. After cutting it out, I found I had enough to also make a top version of the Everyday Amazing Shift Dress.

I don’t always pre-wash my fabric but as this was a denim and 100% cotton I thought it was best to wash this before sewing to prevent shrinkage. It also helps get rid of any residue of the indigo dye.

The indigo chambray denim is gorgeous to work with – it presses beautifully and is stable so was easy to cut out. It does fray a little, so I used my overlocker to finish all the inside seams. If you don’t have an overlocker you could just as easily use a zig zag stitch on your machine.

This was my second version of the top, and after making the first (in the beautiful pink gingham also from Crafty) I have perfected a hack of the pattern which I love.

The top has interesting dart placement coming from the armhole rather than in the side seams which is used to encase the shoulder frill if you make this option.

The sleeveless version is fully faced at the neck and armholes and for this I used a very lightweight iron on interfacing. This helps keep the lovely curves of the neck and arm holes, and prevents any stretching and mis-shaping as you sew the curved lines that go across the grain of the fabric.

To ensure the facing lay flat I trimmed the seam allowance – grading the levels, clipped carefully into it, and did a row of understitching as far round as I could on each opening. This makes the facing sit beautifully flat and neat and there was no need for topstitching.

The top has a centre back opening and I used a small button and rouleaux loop to close it – but in reality for the top this isn’t needed and I can get it on and off easily without needing to undo the button.

For my hack I have straightened the side seams to remove the flare over the hips, shortened the length to sit between my waist and hip bones and included a deep hem with cute side slits.

The wrap skirt is easy to make and suitable for a complete beginner. There are no darts and it fastens on the inside with one button and buttonhole, and the outside wrap has an elegant tie. This makes fitting a breeze, it will be easy to grade between sizes if your waist and hips fall in different sizes from the guide, and the only consideration will be where to put the button to fit your waist. It has a beautiful curved edge to the wrap and the instructions to make it up are clear and easy to follow.

On this garment I just added a little iron on interfacing to give the waistband some substance. The ties didn’t need any interfacing as they need to be soft so once tied the bow hangs softly.

The two garments work really well together, but just as well as separates. They can be dressed up or down and layered so I can wear them for warmer days but also as we move into cooler weather.

I really enjoyed these quick makes! I hope you enjoy using the Wrap Skirt and Everyday Amazing top patterns too!“