I decided to omit ties at the sleeve cuffs. I felt like the ties would get in the way for me or become a hazard when cooking, eating, etc. I decided instead to gather then sleeve cuffs with elastic.

Drawstring Waist:

I have learned that I really like hand finishing the edges of thin tie closures. In the past when I have sewn a double fold seam along a thin fabric tape, the seam gets mangled and does not look nice. I used a hand sewing needle and thread and sewed two lines of stitches along each end of the tie, matching the mustard thread. I folded under the raw edge of the ties, twice.

Although I haven’t sewn a drawstring waist for a top, I have sewn lots and lots of drawstring waists in pants. One feature I love to include in drawstring pants is to sew the string in place along the two side seams. The convenience of a drawstring is quite fun but the hassle of it getting twisted or falling out during washing can get wet quite annoying. I decided to add this side seam feature in this top as well. I first pulled the drawstring so that the front of the top was gathered. I made sure the drawstring was flat along the casing. I sewed the drawstring in place along each side of the two side seams, hiding these extra stitches in the seam and holding the drawstring in place.

Final thoughts:

I would really enjoy making this top again but try the solid back and short sleeves (including the split sleeve detail included in the short sleeve, tunic version).

As a side note, I love exclusively using silk head pins now when sewing. I enjoy being able to iron while the pins are in place in the fabric (and not worry about the heads of the sewing pins melting).

I have a few larger scraps of fabric leftover from this project. I love how the double gauze looks like a quilted blanket. I’m planning on sharing these leftover scraps by serging the edges and offering them to kids as baby doll/stuffed animal quilts.

I love the contrast of the billowy texture in the fabric but a tailored drawstring waist, shaped bust darts, and gathered sleeve cuffs.

I’m so glad I decided to leave the fabric un-ironed. It’s been really fun to wear this top with high waisted pants and I love grabbing it out of the dryer, ready to wear. Happy sewing to you!

Rachel @oakbluedesigns
www.oakbluedesigns.com

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