The printed blouse and jeans combo is my everyday go-to outfit so I'm always on the lookout for fun blouse designs. The Crescent Blouse by Meghan Nielsen is beautiful and utterly unique. It features shoulder cut outs and your choice of curved or straight peplum.
I made this pattern once before without the shoulder cutouts and collar. It was intended as a wearable muslin but I ended up not liking the contrast fabric I used on the peplum so I never wore it. But then a few months ago I saw Megan's cropped version of the blouse and knew I needed to try it again. This time, I drafted my own peplum pieces that are shorter than the original with rounded edges. I also made the back peplum shorter so that the two pieces don't overlap at the sides.
The top was fairly easy to make. The instructions are very well done with plenty of detail and illustrations. The trickiest part is finishing the neckline, shoulder openings and armholes with bias facing. It's not super hard just a little tedious. I machine topstitched the armholes but hand stitched the shoulder openings and neckline.
As a full-busted lady, I always wear a bra so I was concerned about this design being bra-friendly, especially since I've never encountered a comfortable strapless. However, this top was designed to go with a racerback style where the straps sit close to the neckline. It works with the racerback bra I own as long as I scoot the straps towards my neck. I'll have to see if this could take a full day of wear without annoying me though. I suspect the straps might shift around and I hate having straps showing. But in these photos you can't see the straps at all. So maybe it will work after all!
I bought this fabric online last year during a black friday sale. However when it arrived, it was cut into multiple pieces instead of one length. Suffice it to say, I was not pleased as I could no longer make the dress I had intended to make. They didn't have any more to replace the fabric so I was refunded the cost. Through some very careful placement I've managed to make two tops out of it. The second one will be shared in a few weeks. Anyway, the fabric is a basic rayon crepe and was fairly easy to handle. I did encounter a little shifting during cutting but I don't think you can really tell in my finished garments.
I really love how this turned out and am already planning more cropped tops. Have you been sewing any tops this summer?
