Saturday, March 17, 2012

diy: silk crop top

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Like everyone else, my sights are firmly set on warmer-weather dressing.  This breezy crop top is one of my faves, equally perfect with cutoffs/sandals or a pencil skirt and blazer:


Otis Maclain blouse

Inspired by the shape of this top, I did a little operation on this oversized thrifted silk shirt:

Before


After



What I did:
1. Drew a curved hemline (yeah, I'm an addict) on the inside of the shirt, then sewed a line of stitches along that curve.
2. Cut off the bottom of the shirt about 3/4 inch below the line I had just sewed.
3. Carefully pressed the hem up so that the line of stitches was just slightly on the inside of the shirt, then folded the hem in about 1/4 inch and pressed that one more time with steam.  This helps manage the wonkiness of the curved hem and gathers the resulting excess material before you finish the hem.
4. Stitched the hem down in place.
5. Took in the sides a bit to create slightly more triangular shape.

I decided to just roll up the sleeves instead of cutting them off, as I like the option of having sleeves for a little coverage when the sun is just too much.  I'm ambivalent about whether to keep the pointed collar, though - what do you think?  Should it stay or go?

27 comments:

  1. Oooh this is perfect! Great re-do!
    Erin @ www.thanksimadeitblog.com

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  2. Keep the pointed collar, it makes this shirt different (in a good way!) from the inspiration.

    Cheers
    ExquisiteSearching.blogspot.com

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  3. Wow cute DIY!!

    http://gorgeouslookolga.blogspot.com/

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  4. You made perfect DIY's girl! Love it!
    I really like your blog dear, keep posting!

    Please check out my MARC JACOBS giveaway at my blog!
    http://floortjeloves.blogspot.com/

    Kisses!

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  5. Great DIY! Well done as for working with silk (I sew myself, but I don't even touch silk- heard it's quite tricky to sew it). As for the collar, I'm voting for stay ;-) Thanks for visiting me today! :)

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  6. very odd and charming enough! this is definitely a unique thing and I absolutely like it!

    http://nastya-said.blogspot.com/

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  7. This is SO cute! Love love love :)

    Love, Vanilla

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  8. I adore your croptop, fabulous diy <3
    http://cupcakesandtreacle.blogspot.com

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  9. hi! thanks so much for the comment:)
    i like this diy, looks great:)

    Love,
    Nee
    ROSECANDLE11

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  10. This is brilliant! Love the rounded hem, might have to fashion myself one of these for the summer!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog and taking a look at my DIY Zara Sequin Clutch.

    Susie X

    theembellished.blogspot.com

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  11. lovely
    http://aprettylife13.blogspot.com/

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  12. that is amazing! the shirt is so cute! thanks for the comment on my blog, hope you will stop by again!

    style-extraordinaire.com

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  13. I LOVE what you have done with the shirt. Amazing transformation and looks right on trend!!!

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  14. I love this! Totally starred this post in my Reader for future inspiration.

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  15. SOOOO CUTE =)
    TB

    http://madebyheartbytb.blogspot.ca
    (wait a visit =))

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  16. WHOA! You've made it more edgy rather than a standard ol' printed blouse. I've managed to mend my cardigan today and was so pleased that the stitches were relatively straight. One day, I may even be able to even consider doing simple alterations.

    P.S. Uniqlo offers free alteration for jeans that cost £20 or more. Otherwise, the charge is £2 and the wait is an hour. Have a wonderful trip to London this weekend! You'll be pleased to know that the weather will be AWESOME - sunny and balmy 19 C

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  17. I love how it turned out. The new version has a more edgier feel.

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  18. Very cute. Amazing how simple little details like a shorter sleeve and curved hem can make it so much more modern.

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  19. Just found your DIY blog, bookmarking it to redo those horrible vintage tops I purchased in bulk during the dark period in my life. This looks really nice and updated!

    kittenmasks.com

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  20. Love the result!

    I really like your blog, I´m following you :D
    ... maybe if you have time, you could visit my blog too, and if you like it, follow me back ;)
    Kisses!
    http://modacapital-blog.com

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  21. oh, I was planning on doing sth very similar soon! thanks for sharing - your little makeover turn out pretty damn good:)

    staklene bombone

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