I loved the embroidered stripe fabric on this Talbots skirt I found secondhand on ThredUP so much. Even though the skirt zipped up fine and the fabric content had 3% elastane in it, the fit was still a bit snug. So in my closet it sat for months and I never wore it.

Rather than sell or donate it I decided to use the skirt fabric to make something new that I actually would wear. I decided on a sleeveless summer top. Then it was time to choose a suitable pattern.

The simplest option was a tried and true, if somewhat boxy tank I’ve made several times before; Simpliciy 8661.

I have a couple more tank top patterns I might have used but this one fit the yardage I had to work with the best.
Everything came together quite easily but when it came to creating the bias neck and armhole bindings, I came up short on fabric. My workaround was to serge, turn under and topstitch the armholes and create the bias neck edge binding from pieced fabric scraps.


Here is my new sleeveless top. It’s comfortable, versatile and I am confident I’ll get much more use out of it that it’s previous life as a skirt.



Now off to my next project.
Until the next time…


Well done! I’ve bought skirts from ThredUP too, just to harvest the fabric. I like how you created the bias binding too!
LikeLike
Thanks for your positive feedback. That bias binding was a bit of a challenge to pull off but I’m glad I preserved as I love the stripe contrast effect. By the way, I am a huge fan of your Alabama Chanin creations. One day I hope to make a few pieces of my own using her techniques.
LikeLike