Elodie Wrap Top & Flint Shorts

As usual, I’m playing catch up and still sharing some of my favourite summer sewing projects! I also don’t have much to share in the way of winter appropriate sewing as my sewing time has been occupied with sewing baby clothes ready for the rapidly approaching arrival of my niece. I'm also about to tackle a big coat project which I think may take me some time...I'm excited to get my teeth stuck into a long and complex project though.

The shorts in the photos are the Megan Nielsen Flint sewn up in a black linen from The Fabric Store. I've blogged about this pattern before, it is my favourite shorts pattern and probably trouser pattern too. These black ones have become a real staple in my wardrobe. I've said probably all I can say about that pattern at this point so I'll be talking about the top in this post.

Inspiration from Pinterest

I’ve had simple wrap tops like this pinned on Pinterest as inspiration for a while but have never come across quite the right pattern for it. So I decided to see what wrap styles I had in my pattern stash which I could adapt. The Closet Core Elodie Dress had the style of neckline I was after and I decided that with a few tweaks it could become just the top I was looking for. I had a good knowledge of how it was constructed after making a version for myself and using it for my friend's wedding dress. I find knowing how a pattern goes together and what finishing techniques are involved always helps when hacking a pattern.

I started with view A with the short sleeves (although I think this would look equally great with the longer sleeves) and cut the size 6 as I did when I made the dress for myself. I had previously shortened the bodice at the lengthen/shorten line by 3/4" but this time I lengthened it by 5". I followed the curve of the front neckline and continued it until it reached the length of the hem. This extends the wrap over a bit further than the original design but made the most sense.

I then simply didn't sew the release pleats in the front bodice to achieve a more relaxed fit. This also meant the top was big enough to pull on over my head and I could stitch the front in place to achieve a faux wrap. I eliminated the ties. Then when just the hem was left to sew I overlapped the two front pieces by the desired amount and basted them together along the hem. I did a simple double turned hem treating both layers as one. This could get a little bulky in a thick fabric but in viscose it turned out fine. I think the resulting amount of ease is spot on for what I was trying to achieve. It strikes the right balance between fit and volume and still tucks in neatly.

I interfaced the neckline facing with a lightweight fusible and this helps it to sit correctly. I also don't recommend skipping the understitching along this edge. It is really important to have a clean finish here and the facing rolling out to the wrong side will look messy. It did need an additional little stitch where the neckline crosses at the centre front to prevent too much flashing as I move around!

The fabric is an amazing Cousette print that I had my eye on for ages from Good Fabric. There's one little remnant left on the Good Fabric website if you like the look of it! I used a Cousette fabric to make a Wilder Gown a while back and I was so impressed with the quality and hand of the fabric that I've been keeping my eye out for another print from them that appealed. This one was just the ticket. The colours are right up my street and I really like that the scale of the print is big and bold. It is a viscose twill with a nice weight and fluid drape to it which works well for this top.

I initially considered making a dress with it but actually the print works great as a top paired with solid bottoms and I think I'm getting much more wear out of it this way. Although, having said that, I think it would make a fab Atlas Wrap Dress. I have a sizeable piece of it left and I'm wondering if there is enough to squeeze a pair of shorts out of. I can then pair the two items together as a faux jumpsuit for the best of both worlds! The fabric has some weight and body so I think it would work well as a pair of relaxed shorts.

I’m so pleased with this and now I’ve got the pattern sorted I will definitely be making multiples! It doesn’t need much fabric and is great for showcasing a beautiful drapey print. It looks great tucked into high waisted trousers and skirts. Chalking this one up as a big pattern hacking win.