4 Easy DIY Cami Style Tops (Self Drafting Process)

know there's like really awkward bits of fabric that we have left over for today i thought that i would share some simple sewing projects where we can put them to good use [Music] [Music] well hello and welcome back to the essentials club if you're new around here i am maddie and as i just mentioned i have got some beginner friendly tutorials today where i'm going to show you how to use those awkward bits of scrap fabric and how to turn them into some cute tops so you can add to your wardrobe i thought between these four tops they're a good variety and styles as well as different finishing details and of course you can always mix and match if you like prefer the sleeves of one or the bottom half of another let me talk you through the details of what we have installed first off we have this one that i am wearing which i would say this is probably the most beginner friendly one very simple it is literally just sewing and cutting straight lines so it's just got the basic strap that goes over the top and this kind of like apron style finish up the top which then just goes down into a mid-drift length and with any of these you can adjust the thickness of the straps or the length of it i just went crop tops for all of these you could obviously extend these make them longer version tops so they cover the waist area whatever you prefer this is top number one super simple if you haven't done many sewing projects before i would highly recommend adding this one to your list the second one has like a scrunchy finished strap where it has this gathered effect to it and then also has an elastic waist up the top and the bottom of the main panels so then the second one has a tie strap finish and then a shirt bust area which flows out into like a little flared waist area i guess that's what you would call it and then for the last top again we have some tie straps and then just an elastic finish up the top which it has some extended ruffles up there as well and then just goes down into a flowy kind of oversized fit so if you in particular want to make one of these ones i will put the time stamps for each of the like separate tutorials below otherwise you can watch through all of this and then just pick out what you're most drawn to right well if you want to follow along this is what you'll need to bring your beautiful top to life so for the material as i mentioned this is probably an ideal project that you can use for those weird off-cut materials that you have laying around from previous sewing projects the first simple cami style you can kind of do that out of any material whether that is like a stiffer form or a lighter weight like linen or cotton whereas the ones that are gathered i would highly recommend going for a flowy thinner material just because it will gather up nicer and also when it comes to shearing that definitely works better on a thinner style material because that helps gather it up so avoid going for anything too stiff or too stretchy for the shirt style top if you are just going for some new material half a meter or half a yard will be plenty for any of these types of tops as they are all quite mid-drift and only require a small amount of material if you do want to be more certain you can just double check at the measuring part of each of the tutorials and you can see if you have enough material laying around you'll then just need some pins and a safety pin some fabric scissors measuring tape some fabric chalk some matching thread to your material and then depending on what top you do you will then need some elastic i will put the recommended amount in each of the various tutorials i went for about a half inch width elastic and as well if you are going for the shirt finish top then you will also need some sharing thread ready once you've got all of that along with your trusty old sewing machine we can jump into making these cute tops but before we jump into the steps of bringing these tops to life i just want to say a massive thank you to the sponsor of today's video which is skillshare if you haven't heard of skillshare they're an incredible online resource with a growing community of eager learners and teachers through their platform you'll find thousands of inspiring classes curious and creative people just like yourselves where you can explore new skills develop existing interests and get lost in creativity since starting up over a year ago i've dived into subjects like animation sewing styling web design plant tips and so much more in particular i have been loving william kessling's class on animation for graphic designers and how to animate a logo as my main job is actually as a graphic designer and i'm always looking for new ways to level up my skills in this area learning something new can be a bit daunting but being able to go through william's approach to animation in the bite size segments really helped me to be able to take in what he was sharing and then put it into action on my own i can't wait to keep practicing and refining this new skill if this sounds like something that you would be interested in as well then jump on the offer below where the first 1 000 of my subscribers to click the link in the description we'll get a one month free trial of skillshare so you can start exploring your creativity today thanks again to skillshare and now back to making these tops for the simple and cute cami top we'll just need to find the key measurements for the front and back panels as well as the straps so grab your measuring tape and find the circumference of your bust and then we're going to add four inches to this for seam allowance and we'll divide this by two and that is the cutting width for one panel just make sure when you're measuring that you don't pull it too tight you still want to be able to kind of move around so once you've got the width we'll then find the height and do this by finding your mid chest area or where you'd like the top to start down to the point where you would like the top to finish obviously this is the personal preference you could make it quite cropped or you could go down lower either way figure out how long you want it to be and then add one inch for seam allowance then for the straps we'll start measuring from that front mid chest area where the top is going to start over our shoulders and to the back point where it will meet the main back panel i'd recommend doing this step in front of a mirror so you kind of see where it will mirror onto the back section otherwise if you're unsure you can always add extra seam allowance and then trim it off later remember it's always better to have more rather than to need extra later on so once you've found that length then add one inch of seam allowance then for the cutting width we're then just going to figure out the final width of our strap double that as we'll be folding it and then we'll add one inch for seam allowance so for this top i went for quite a thicker strap so if i wanted my final width to be 1.5 inches i would then double that to get three inches and then add one inch of seamless so my cutting width will be four inches once you've got all these key measurements we'll then plot out the length and the width for the first front panel trim this out and then you can use that first one as a template and cut out a second petal for the back side next we'll just need to find the second lot of key measures which will help us find the angles that go under our arms so measure across your chest and how far you would like the straps to be this is the outer edges of the strap just before it starts angling down for me i went about nine inches and then we'll need to find the dip for the underarm section which we just align the mid chest area to our underarm and measure down how far we would like it to dip i ended up measuring down about four inches so whatever dip you want it to be i would recommend adding at least half an inch just so you have that extra length on there for a more conservative fit you could go about two to three inches and for like a lower dip you can go about four to five inches once you've figured that out we're just going to fold our panels in half so that we find the center point and it's nice and symmetrical we're then going to measure out half of that chest area so if mine was 9 inches i'm going to measure out 4.5 inches pop a dot there and then we'll measure down that side edge the amount we want the armpit area to dip so for me that was four inches popped a mark there and then drew a line between these two dot points and that creates our angle for our underarm trim this section off and then repeat that for the second panel you can just use this first one as a template otherwise you can measure out those dot points again on the fold next we'll need to cut out some facing which is just a replicated section of this top which will just help create a nicer finish for the seams along the top and also if your material does happen to be see-through it will help create a second layer which will prevent it from being too transparent so lay the panel where we have cut these angles on over the top of some extra material and then we'll just trim around it creating a replicated piece which we will use for the facing for this i just went about two to three inches under the underarm section and that ends up just covering the bust area repeat that for the back side and then it's time to cut out our straps so plot out again those lengths and widths that we originally found and cut out two panels to these measurements [Music] we're then going to fold these so the good sides are facing inwards and sew along the long edge also at any of these stages where you might see that i don't pin i'm just a bit lazy like that but if you find that the material is moving around feel free to pin it in place so it doesn't shuffle around while you're sewing once you've sewn the first one repeat that for the second panel and then just trim off any excess material and go around and overlock or zigzag stitch this raw edge which will help prevent it from fraying then we'll grab our safety pin and pop it on one of the open edges and begin to push the good sides in through this panel and out so it reveals and all the seams are hidden on the inside once you've done that i'd recommend just pushing the seam so it's kind of in the center and you can do this by using an iron and pressing it in place and then you'll see that there's a nice clean front side and then there's the seam kind of in the center on the back side we'll then lay down these straps good side facing onto one of the main panels so one of the raw edges of the strap will align with the top of the panel and then the side edges of the strap will kind of sit up in the corner where the angle begins once you've got that laying good sides facing down to the good sides of the main panel you'll then lay the facing on top of this and then you can pin down all the top edges making sure that you secure the straps in place as well it's a bit of a sandwiching process where you've got the main good panel good sides facing up the straps good sides facing down and then the facing on top of that with the good sides facing down as well we're then just going to sew across the three top edges so the one angle the straight edge and the other angle [Music] [Music] once you've done that trim off any excess material and then go around and zigzag stitch or overlock those edges again so they don't fray then to help prevent it from puffing up i'm just going to do this under stitch method where you go back to the area that you have sewn and we're just going to push the seam allowance over towards the facing and sew it down so it's secured to that side i'm just going to do this along the top straight edge as i find it is a little bit easier just focusing on one area at a time so once you've located your seam allowance push that over to the facing and then just sew one line straight across there this might involve pushing the material around just so you can get in there easily and also you can then go ahead and use your iron to press these edges down so it creates a nice crisp finish as well so once that is looking good on that first side we can then begin the sandwiching process on the other side so we'll lay down that top main panel good side facing up and then we'll lay down the straps good sides facing down but you'll notice now that the straps are attached to the other panel so just make sure when you lay the good sides of the straps facing down that the good side of the other main panel is facing down as well again align the raw edges of the straps to the raw edges of that top main panel that we're sewing and then lay the facing on top of that with the good sides facing down pin across that top end while you've got this all pinned in place i would recommend pushing it all so the good sides are facing out and then throwing it over your shoulders just to double check that the length of the straps is at the point where you want it to be i found when i did try it on i needed to pull my straps through a little more so it was sitting up a bit higher so you can see on the screen that i just used measuring tape to make sure that i pulled it out equal lengths on either side and then once i was happy with that pinned it back in place so it's all secured and then sew across there again along that angled edge the straight top edge and the other angled edge and that will help secure it all in place make sure to go around again and trim off any excess seam allowance do that under stitch method you'll see now that it's like an awkward kind of apron looking thing where the tops are sitting on either side of the straps but before we go ahead and joining these together we're just going to clean up one last edge which is the bottom of the facing so if you've got an overlocker you can just go ahead and overlock it otherwise you can do what i did and do a double folded hem along this edge you do that by doing one fold ideally as small as possible or at least like half an inch or one centimeter and then repeat another fold the same width and then just pin this in place sew along that straight line so once the facing edges are looking all nice and clean we can then just go ahead fold over the top so that the good sides of the front and the back are facing and it's kind of resembling more of a top down then just pin those side edges in and sew one line on either side from the top to the bottom if you find that it is a bit of a loose fit you can go back and take it in a little bit more on the edges i did find that if you kind of create a larger seam allowance at the top and then ease to a smaller seam allowance down the bottom that creates a nice finish as well where it's tight around the bust and then kind of flows out so you can have a little play around with that until you get it fitting nice then trim off any excess seam allowance and then overlock or zigzag stitch the edges then for the very last step we're just going to do one final hem along the bottom edge just create a double fold i went for about a half an inch fold for each of these pinned it in place and then just sewed one line across this entire edge and that is that top all nice and done such a simple and cute number to add to my wardrobe so this second top has got a bit more of a gathered finish and a kind of scrunchy inspired look to it again we're going to start off by measuring some key areas to figure out the cutting width and height for the main panels so wrap your measuring tape around your bust area and then times this amount by 1.5 and divide this by two and the reason why we do that is because we are going to be adding an elastic and giving it that gathered effect so that would be our cutting width for the top panel and then for the cutting height again we're just going to measure from the mid chest down to where we want this to finish but this time we're going to add four inches of seam allowance then for the straps we are going for that scrunchy effect again so we will measure from the front mid chest around to the back where the straps will meet the top and then we will times this by 1.5 again we're going to have that gathered look so it just allows that extra length then for the width again we'll do the final measurement times it by two and then one add one inch for seamless for this one i went for a thinner look so i wanted my final width to be one inch i doubled that to two inches and then add one inch for seamless which means my cutting width was three inches so now that we've got all those key measurements using our measuring tape and our measuring chalk plot out the length and the width of these top panels cut out the first one then cut out the second one and then we'll repeat that process for the straps as well now for these i thought it could be a nice effect to create a french seam on the insides by doing this it just means we won't need to overlock or zigzag stitch these edges as we already have created a nice clean finish and it won't fray we lay down the main top panels with the good sides facing outwards we pin down the two side edges and then just sew as close as we can to that edge repeat that on both sides we can then just trim up any extra seamless so that sewing line is as close as possible to the edge once we've done that for both sides we'll then just flip it out now so the good sides are facing each other and we'll flatten out those edges so it's ready to sew down like a normal seam of course you can always get an iron and flatten this if you find that your material is quite puffy then we'll just pin along here and then sew as close as we can to the edge but also allowing enough space so that existing seam allowance can get hidden in there if you're unsure sewing about half an inch or one centimeter from the edge can also be a safe choice so repeat this for both sides and then you'll find that we have a nice clean finish where the side seams are all done and you can't see any of the raw edges because they're hidden within that section that we sewed right here now that that's all done we will focus on the top and the bottom edges and just create one single fold and sew this in place again try and fold this as small as you can or just fold it by half an inch or one centimeter pin that in place and sew entirely across this edge and then repeat that for the other side this is just going to help prepare that edge so that we can add the elastic in there so once you've done that for the both top and bottom we'll then grab our elastic and wrap it around where our top will be finishing for me that was kind of just under my bust area making sure to pull it so it's not too tight but just kind of sitting there securely and then adding an inch of seam allowance trimming that first piece of elastic and then wrapping another piece of elastic above my bust area or more like higher on my chest as that is where my top will be finishing and then adding one inch of seamless and trimming that piece for me i found that my top piece was a little bit longer so i just kept that in mind when i was laying this down then we're going to go back to our top and create a second fold which is going to be wide enough for the elastic to fit in ideally whatever the elastic is maybe add an extra half an inch just so it allows you to have a bit of moving room and also seam allowance to sew across that bottom section you can lay your elastic over the top just to double check that it fits on there pin that in place and continue this process all around the top and the bottom edges then when it comes time to sewing we're going to sew pretty much entirely all the way around but make sure to stop about two inches from where you started and that's going to allow an access point for us to add the elastic in then we can grab a safety pin pop it on the edge of our elastic and begin to insert it through this hole and you just do this by shuffling the safety pin through this tunnel and continuing this process until you reach back to where you started push the safety pin out so it is free unclip the safety pin and then overlap that seam allowance that we allowed back when we cut this elastic you might want to make sure before you sew this in place that your elastic is nice and straight as that can be a bit annoying when it's somehow twisted in there so double check that then go to your sewing machine switch it to a zigzag setting go back and forth over that overlapping section once that's feeling nice and secure you can then just pull the elastic through so it is sitting within the tunnel now switch your machine back to a normal stitch then you can sew close that hole that we left open you'll see there's that first section all nice and gathered up with the elastic in there we're then just going to repeat that process for the second section [Music] and then you should have the top and bottom section all gathered up next we're going to switch our focus to the straps so again we're going to lay them down and then fold them so the good sides are facing each other and then we'll sew down the entire length of these straps trim off any excess material and again zigzag stitch or overlock these edges so they don't fray pop the safety pin on one of the open edges and guide the good sides out through this tunnel and the seam is all hidden within we'll then just shuffle the seam so it is centered in the back section again you can use an iron or something to press this so it is nice and crisp and stays there so because we are creating that scrunchy effect we will need to cut out some elastic back to the original length that we found so the fabric of the straps are going to be 1.5 times the original length and then the elastic is just going to be that original length so for me mine was like 14 inches trimmed out that first one and then cut out the second piece of elastic and then popped a safety pin on the edge of this elastic and guided it through the strap tunnel and once the edge without the safety pin had reached the edge of the fabric i stopped pulling it through and then just offset it by about half an inch from that edge and just sewed a line across there so it secured the elastic onto the strap once i'd completed that first edge i then continued pushing the safety pin and the elastic through to the other end and removed the safety pin and then again offset the elastic by about half an inch from that edge and sewed a line across there so it stayed in place with the elastic being shorter than the length of the strap you'll find that it gives it like a scrunchy gathered up effect so that's one strap done and then just repeated that process for the second strap and then it was time to begin adding these straps onto the main panels to do this i grabbed the straps and the edge that has the same showing i laid that down to the top panel so essentially the bad sides of the top panel and the bad sides of the straps are facing each other because from there the straps will end up folding upwards and the good sides will be revealed for the placement of the straps i'd recommend finding the center point of the top and then figuring out how far you want them to be apart the inner edges of my straps were seven inches apart if that helps you so this first sewing line of the strap is going to be in line with the existing sewing line of the hem so you can do this by offsetting the strap and then aligning so it matches up to the existing line of the hem sew along there securing the strap in place hopefully this little close-up makes that a bit clearer of what i was trying to mention and then we'll fold the strap upwards so it looks more like a strap that is coming out of the top now you can then sew from the front side as close to that top edge so it creates a second line that secures the strap onto the main top panel so then the raw edge is nice and hidden and your strap is all attached to the top repeat that process for your second front edge and then we'll continue adding the other side of the strap onto the top so we need to wrap it around the top making sure that it doesn't twist and repeat the same process where we offset the raw edge of the strap measure out how far you would like the straps to be on this back side pin it in place sew along that bottom hem securing that first edge of the strap on then unfold the strap so it is sitting out how a strap should normally look and we'll repeat that process where we then sew that top line [Music] and then we should have one cute little scrunchy strap all attached to the top repeat that process for the second strap so wrapping it around making sure that you don't have any twists accidentally in there align that raw edge with the top and offsetting it by a little bit just so that you are focusing on sewing it in line with that existing hem unfold it and then focus on that front top section sewing a line across there to secure it and your gathered scrunchy top is all done [Music] next up we have the shade ruffle kemi and for this again i know i sound like a broken record we need to find some key measurements to cut out the main panels and the straps so measure your bust area times this by 1.5 and then divide this by two and that is going to be the cutting width of one of our top panels then for the cutting height we're going to measure from our mid chest area down to where we would like this top to finish keeping in mind the bust area will probably end up being covered by the shearing lines then ideally you might want to leave a bit of extra length at the bottom to create that ruffled effect so once you've found that height we're then just going to add two inches for seam allowance for the straps figure out your final width then times that by two and then add one inch for seam allowance i went for quite a thinner style for this so if my final width is 0.5 inches i doubled that to 1 inch and then i added an extra inch for seamless which means my cutting width is 2 inches then for the length we're going to start at our mid chest on the front and measure over to the back where the straps will meet the top now for this i am going for a tied finish therefore instead of cutting out two straps i will end up cutting out four straps this process of measuring over the shoulders still ends up being enough to create that tie finish but of course if you do want a very like over exaggerated tie effect you can add extra seam allowance totally up to you and then we will grab our measuring tape and our measuring chalk and plot out these key measurements for the front and the back panels as well as the four straps we'll start by focusing on the straps and fold them so the good sides are facing inwards and we're going to sew along one short edge and then one long edge and leaving the other short edge open once you've completed that for all four straps just go along and trim off any excess seamless so it's nice and close to that sewing line and then go around and zigzag stitch or overlock these edges so they don't fray then we're going to grab a clean paint brush and place it on the closed edge and begin to push this through so it starts to reveal the good sides outwards thinner your straps the harder it probably is my material for this was very coarse and obviously i did a thinner strap so it did take a bit of extra effort to get these good sides facing out whereas the thicker your straps i find the easier it is to push it outwards just a little tip in case you get frustrated trying to push this out repeat that for all four and then you should have these nice straps that have one clean edge and one raw edge next we'll focus on doing the front and the back panels again i'm going to create a french seam effect which if you didn't watch the previous top it just helps create a cleaner finish so it doesn't fray and you don't have to zig zag stitch or overlock the edges so if your material has a particular good and bad side this is where you would lay the bad sides together so the good sides are facing outwards then sew down the two side edges as close as you can to the edge and once you finish that you can trim off any excess material so there's minimal seam allowance sitting there we'll then flip it around now so the good sides are facing each other flatten out these edges you should be able to then sew down as close as you can to the edge and making sure that seam allowance gets hidden within there if you're unsure you can sew about a half an inch or one centimeter away from the edge you can see once i've done this i then have a nice clean seam of course you can just sew this as normal and do a regular seam but i just feel like this is a nice touch so once you've completed that we are then just going to prepare the top and the bottom edges so on the bottom edge we'll do a full double folded hem again do this as small as possible or at least half an inch or one centimeter fold that and pin that in place around the entire bottom edge and then for the top edge i'm just going to do one single fold as i am going to add some more elastic into this later do one single fold as small as you can along the top edge so both of these edges in place flip it so the good sides are facing out and we're going to begin plotting out the distance between the sharing lines that we're going to sew for the first one i like to do this about one inch from the edge just to allow some room for us to do that final hem i measured down from this top edge one inch entirely around the circumference of this panel and then i just figured out how far i want each of my sewing lines to be apart from there remember the closer they are the more time you're probably going to spend sewing it but it will give it a more bunched up effect the further apart they are the less you'll need to sew but then also keep in mind it probably won't be as like a tighter gathered effect so figure out how far you'd like yours to be apart i went for about three quarters of an inch or what is that like 1.5 centimeters apart plot the rest of these lines out until you reach the height of the shirt area that you would like to fill in my area ended up being about 7 inches from the top and then i set up my machine ready to use the sharing grab your showing thread and an empty bobbin then begin from the inside and thread it out through one of those little guided holes that most bones tend to have and that just allows a bit of extra thread to hang out so we can grab a hold of it and it doesn't move around as we begin to thread it now unlike a normal bob in which we use the machine to thread it this one we're just going to hand thread and we do that because we don't want to stretch out this thread as we add it on so when you are wrapping this thread around the bobbin you're literally just guiding it on there making sure not to pull it not to stretch it just naturally guiding it on as it wants to fall evenly fill it up across each edge until you reach pretty much as full as you can trim off that little tail end that's kind of hanging out then just set up your machine as normal by adding the bobbin into its designated section obviously our machines might look different so set up yours however you need to and then get the sharing thread sort of sitting up and meeting the top thread and then you essentially just sew as normal the only thing is we want the sharing thread to sit on the bottom side of the garment so make sure whenever you are sewing with sharing thread you have the good side of the garment facing upwards and therefore the sharing thread can get hidden underneath start as you normally would with the back stitch and then sew entirely around the circumference of this top panel back to where you begin and do a back stitch now depending on your material you might not see much of a bunched up effect for this first line so do not stress if it is not looking as bunched up as you think it should and just continue to sew each of your shirring lines and you'll start to see that it does begin together as well when you go to a new line i find that just lifting up the foot and moving it down to the next section is perfectly fine and also means that you don't waste the sharing thread because by undoing it and trimming it each time and then pulling out a new tail i feel like that just wastes unnecessary thread make sure to do your back stitch at the beginning the end lift your foot move it down to the next section and then back stitch and begin sewing that next line because it is a thicker thread it tends not to last for too long so i normally get three to five lines done and then i find i'll need to remove my bobbin and then re-thread it with the elastic sharing and then reset it up it is quite simple creating this effect in theory but it's just time consuming and the fact that you need to sit there sew each line potentially rethread it a few times just be patient put on a good podcast and just enjoy the process then once you've got down to that bottom section where you want it to finish trim off any excess thread then this final detail is down to personal preference i do find over time that a sharing thread can kind of lose its elastic pool so to prevent it from getting too loose and like not sitting how i want it to which i have experienced before i decided to add like a quarter inch width elastic along the top just so if it does loosen up eventually this elastic will hopefully keep it gathered along there and to do this i just switched my machine back to the normal thread for both the top and the bobbin and cut a piece of elastic that is the width of my bust area and then i just stretched it along and sewed it in place in line with this top hem section and you'll see as i sew i kind of stretch out the elastic as i go just so it will get that nice bunched up finish so i did this all the way around to the top and then created that final folded hem so then you don't have to see the elastic if this top edge does kind of roll out which is natural with the gathered effect and the sharing so i went around secured that elastic on created that final hem sewed that in place and that was my top pretty much done again you could just leave this as a boob tube as is or if you want to continue along with me we can add the final straps on so we'll find the center point of the top and then measure out the distance that we would like the inner part of the straps to be i put these ones quite close i don't know i just wanted that style for this so i ended up putting mine about six and a half inches apart and then laid down the straps so the raw edges were meeting the top of the main panel and created a sewing line which pretty much aligns with the existing hem line of the top panel and that helps secure the strap in place then folded this up way and it's sitting above the top now and just sewed a second line pretty much as close as i can to the top edge again that just hides the raw edge of the strap i repeated this for all of the four straps and then tied the straps where they felt comfortable and that is my top all done and ready to add to my wardrobe then for the last top it is like a gathered kind of balloon cami style so again last time i mentioned this we are going to find some key measuring points for the top panels so measure your bust times this by 1.5 as we are giving that gathered effect and then divide this by two and that will be the cutting width of one of the main panels and for the height we'll measure from our mid chest down to our desired length and we're going to add four inches of seam allowance as this will allow enough extra length to create that ruffled effect and also add the elastic in then for the straps again personal preference you can do a tied effect or a regular strap either way measure from your mid chest over your shoulders and down to where the straps will meet the back and then we'll add one inch of seam allowance now if you're doing tie straps you'll need four others if you're doing regular straps you'll just need to cut out two panels figure out how wide you would like it to be double this and then add one inch of seam allowance so for this one i went for a thicker style and i wanted it to be one inch wide so i doubled that which got me to two inches and then i added one inch for seamless so therefore my cutting width is three inches grab your material plot out these key measurements with your measuring tape and your fabric chalk and we'll cut out two main petals and however many straps you want whether you're doing thai or regular [Music] we'll then grab the main panels and once again we will be creating a french seam which just stops it from fraying and gives a nice clean finish so we'll lay the top panels with the good sides facing outwards and the bad sides facing each other we'll then sew down the two side edges as close as we can to the edge once you've done that trim up any excess seam allowance and then we'll flip this so the good sides are then facing each other if you find that your material is a bit puffy here you can iron it nice and flat essentially we want the two outer edges that we just sewn to be nice and crisp and ready to sew again we're then going to sew as close as we can again to the edge but also a distance that allows the seams to get hidden within this new line that we are sewing sew down each of those edges next figure out which edge you would like to be the top and we're just going to create one single folded hem about half an inch or one centimeter pin across there and then sew across this entire top edge next we're going to create a second hem but it's going to be oversized to allow enough for the elastic to fit in there as well as a ruffled finish if you're like me and you have a half an inch width elastic i would recommend folding this by about two inches and that allows us to create a tunnel for the elastic at one inch and then a finished ruffled section above this of one inch you'll see on the screen that where i place the elastic is where we're going to create the tunnel and then the ruffles will sit above that so once you're happy with that fold pin it in place and then grab your fabric chalk and mark a line that sits above the folded edge with enough space for your elastic to sit in the tunnel that we're going to create i ended up measuring up one inch and that just allows space for the elastic as well as enough seam allowance to create the tunnel and then essentially what we're going to do is sew along this bottom edge making sure to stop about two inches from where we started so it leaves a gap for the elastic to be added into and then we'll go back and sew along that line that we marked out for me that second line is about an inch from that first line and we just sew entirely around this circumference as that is going to be the top edge of the tunnel [Music] [Music] for the elastic we just want to cut it so it wraps around our bust in a way that is not too tight but nice and secure and then we add an extra inch for seam allowance we will then add the safety pin on one edge and go back to that section where we left a gap in the tunnel and begin gathering the material over and shuffling it around until we meet back to where we started we'll then pull the elastic out take the safety pin off overlap that bit of extra seam allowance switch our machine to a zigzag setting and secure those two edges of the elastic together making sure just before you do this that the elastic hasn't accidentally twisted at any point because that could be a little bit annoying so that in place and then you can pull it so the elastic sits back into this tunnel we can then switch our machine back to a regular stitch and sew close the gap that we left open and that is that top section all done and looking all cute and gathered up and ruffled then we'll switch our focus over to the straps so we'll lay them down and fold them so the good sides are facing pin this in place and then we'll sew down one short edge and one long edge and leaving the other short edge open just for a little finishing detail instead of doing like a straight turned edge you could do a curved edge as you'll see the eye finish just gives it a nice point of difference but if you have a thinner strap just go for the straight pointed edge once you've completed sewing all these pieces together trim off any excess seam allowance and then go around and zigzag stitch or overlock these edges [Music] we'll then grab a paintbrush or something long and clean and thin place this at the closed end of the strap and begin to push this so it reveals the good sides outwards repeat that for all of the straps and if the straps are a bit puffy you might want to grab your iron and just press these nice and flat then we'll get our main garment flip it inside out and then figure out how far apart we would like the straps to be by finding the center point along the top and then measuring out the distance from the inner part of the strap for this i ended up placing mine at 7 inches apart i laid the strap down so that the raw edge sits at the bottom of that hem that we created and then i sewed one line across there so it aligns with that bottom line of the tunnel that we created once i completed that first line i then folded the strap upwards and completed a second line across the top of that hem or the tunnel that we created [Music] [Music] as you can see it just ends up hiding the raw edge of the strap and also just creates two secured lines for the strap to attach onto the main panel once you've got that first one done you can then just repeat it for the final three straps tie the top edges at the point where you'd like it to be and then is that top edge all ready to go we'll then just need to do one final step where we create a folded hammer along the bottom edge fold this as small as you would like it to be or at least half an inch one centimeter for each fold and then just sew entirely along this bottom circumference and that is your top all done and then my friends you should have some new cute tops to add into your wardrobe if you did follow along i hope you enjoyed this process don't forget to give it a thumbs up and subscribe if you did because i've got plenty more videos like this in the works also if you do happen to make these don't forget to tag me at the essentials club as i always love seeing your outcomes you guys are so creative it's so cool well i hope you enjoyed these diy options of turning some little scrap pieces of fabric into some beautiful tops you can add into your wardrobe thanks so much for all of your ongoing support it truly means so much to me and wherever you are i hope you have a lovely day and i'll see you guys in the upcoming videos [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: The Essentials Club

Views: 557,740

Keywords: DIY, how to, tutorial, sew, minimal, creative, conscious wardrobe, ethical fashion, upcycle, craft, style, essentials club, millennial sewing, thrift flip, home, fashion, transformation, sustainable clothing, slow living, cami tops, cropped, shirring, smocking, elastic waist, beginner friendly, easy, simple, project, checker print, linen, cotton, skillshare, spoonflower, the fabric store, scrunchie, tie straps, gathered, mid drift

Id: -fuRf-63P_4

Length: 34min 56sec (2096 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 14 2021