6.28.2012

on your own :: asymmetric cape top

You can do it all on your own! Today I'll teach you guys how to make an easy-peasy asymmetric cape top out of your old, drab tank and a slip, like my look here.
Ingredients:
tank top from days of yore
~ forgotten slip dress 
-or-
~ 1/2 yard chiffon
~ sewing machine (preferred) 
-or-
~ utilitarian needle & corresponding thread
~ fabric scissors
~ stock of pins
Cooking time: 
~ around 1 hour
Directions:
Take slip completely apart at its seams/ lay chiffon fabric flat. Do a quick press on synthetic (low heat) setting. With tank spread flat (and pressed), lay chiffon on top of the tank's back. If using slip, be sure to align bottom hem to hem. Arrange chiffon to be longer and tilted (to your whim).
Pin the back of the tank to chiffon roughly along three-side outline, leaving a gathering of extra fabric in the middle.
Cut along the shape of where you pinned, taking care to leave at least a 1/2 inch allowance.
Press with same heat setting several times over the proposed seam allowance, making sewing more convenient.
Sew using a zigzag stitch along the top of the straps, folding the seam allowance under and matching up to the tank's original seam. Then zigzag it across neckline, first tucking chiffon onto the interior of the tank. When you get to the middle, remember the shape is round, so gather excess fabric and turn it one way. Next use the same stitch on each armhole, doing it just like the neckline. Use a single straight stitch for the next part. Fold either sides' seam allowance according to the pressed crease and stitch all the way down until you get to the tank's bottom hem. Do this as close to the edge of chiffon and the tank's side seams as humanly possible. Finally switch back to a zigzag stitch and run it along the tucked edges (1/2 inch tucked) of hanging chiffon, including the very bottom if you used bolt fabric. Done with care, this makes that little rolled hem you see on chiffon clothes.
* Be sure to: Back stitch (the return arrow on your machine, near the foot) every time you switch to another stitch, round a corner, and stop in that area to reinforce it. The zigzag stitch prevents chiffon and other fabrics from fraying into a monster. Use a serger if you've got one. 
I safety pinned a previously DIY'd faux-leather bow tie to the back.
Press, wear, enjoy. Zero calories, all the fun.

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