Cold Shoulder, Off the Shoulder Crop Top PDF Sewing Pattern Review
Guest blogger Ann Siegle is back and is in the midst of creating her own Ann Normandy Design summer capsule collection. Here is her review of the Cold Shoulder Crop Top PDF Sewing Pattern.
I sewed the Ann Normandy crop top on a Sunday afternoon in between taking kids to birthday parties and making dinner. It’s a relatively fast-sew project with some interesting details like flat felled curved seams and a great shape that lends itself to casual summer wearing.
I chose a purple hand-batiked fabric I purchased from the Bahamas. Thirty years ago, I sailed in the Bahamas and came across this beautiful hand-crafted fabric on a tiny Out Island called Man-O-War Cay. It’s part of the Abaco chain of islands. The fabric itself is made on Andros, the largest of the Bahamian islands. The simple designs, rendered in tropical dye, with the customary batik cracked look says summer in a fabric. I found them again (thanks, Internet!) and ordered a number of yards, with the intention of making summer things for home and wardrobe.
The Ann Normandy Design crop top is cut with the arm seams on the fold (note, NOT the shoulder seams, those are straps). Think of a big T with a super wide neckline. So the clever shape of this pattern is part of its appeal.
You’ll learn some great techniques such as flat-felled vented hem and flat felled seaming on curved seams with this pattern, so it helps to elevate your skill set. With detailed photos (Use your laptop by your sewing machine for this so you can see them in color and zoom in) you’ll find it easy to construct the top. It took me about 2.5 hours with a bit of puttering around mixed in there – helping kids with projects, cutting a dog bandanna and a head wrap out of the rest of the fabric.
While the pattern says Crop Top – don’t be afraid – this will hit at high hip, and the only cropped thing about it is that it’s not a tunic. I styled this with the A-N wide leg pants in black rinse denim, and it’s an excellent look!
Ann Normandy Design Off the Shoulder, Cold Shoulder Crop Top PDF Sewing Pattern with the Ann Normandy Design Pant PDF Sewing Pattern.
With generous yet still reasonable sizing, I didn’t feel like the top overwhelmed me, and it won’t be fussy to fit. Plus, you can wear a regular bra with this top.
I love everything about this top – the style, the fabric, the construction, the enjoyment of the sewing process. I’d sew this again (and again and again!).
