TUTORIAL REVIEW: Spring Top Tutorial

Aside from the occasional dress for my girls, I typically don't sew clothing, but I saw this tutorial for a Spring Top by Made by Rae.  It looked like a quick satisfying sew.  I grabbed some fabric from my stash and got started.

The tutorial includes some ruffles on the arms, but honestly, unless it's on my girls, I'm not really a ruffle girl, so I eliminated them.

Original

My ruffle-less version

Overall the tutorial was easy to follow.  There was only one or two spots where I had to really "think" and had wished that the tutorial was a bit more in-depth, but it wasn't really a big deal.

I really like the way the top band ended up covering the band seam on the inside, but I was not thrilled with how the straps are added at the end.  If using a contrasting or visible thread, this can become a visual issue if you want to reinforce the straps.  I would've liked the straps to be integrated into the band by being placed between the exterior and interior....but of course that would make it a bit more complex, and I think the idea of this top is to be a quick and easy sew.

The best part of this top is that Rae shows you how to shape the top which makes a HUGE difference in the way the shirt lies on the body.  If you make this top, don't skip this step!

Overall I would recommend this tutorial.  It only took me a couple of hours - the pleating and fitting of the straps are the most difficult part!