After the release of The Simple Life Pattern Company x Sew Caroline, I could not get the Ayda dress and top out of my head. I originally planed on just making the dress this weekend to wear to Mother’s Day brunch, but after making it, I decided to make a top version and make another Molly top.
During Me Made May, I’ve realized that I LOVE the handmade tops I have, but I don’t have enough to really have a variety of them to wear throughout a month. As to not bore you (or myself) on my outfits everyday, I’ve been trying to fill my closet with some new items each week to be in my daily photos. These two tops – the Ayda and the Molly – will now be on heavy rotation in my work and weekend wardrobe.
After making the Molly Top during testing, the Primrose Peplum and the Coffee Shop Dress, I realized that I think I’m a small in Sew Caroline’s size range. I sized down to a small to make all three of these garments this weekend and I think that was the perfect solution! I might need to still move the darts down a bit to make it a perfect fit, but this works great for me.
What I love about all three of these garments was how quick they were. I made the dress on Friday night and the assembly line sewed the two tops on Saturday. As the two tops are fairly similar, it was easy to sew them side by side.
For the Ayda dress, I used a Gertie collection stretch sateen from JoAnns. Allie from Allie M. Jackson used this on a dress a couple months ago and I ordered it immediately. I felt like this was the perfect fit for this project! In this version, I lined the bodice, left off the flutter sleeves and used the gathered skirt. I have never had a true circle skirt or circle skirt on a dress (just on tops) so I was nervous doing a circle skirt, but felt that the gathered skirt was a good option for the dress.
For the top version of the Ayda, I used a stretch cotton that I bought from Fabric Godmother when I first started sewing that I’ve been holding on to. I’m moving at the beginning on June and have been on a major stash busting mission and this was a great choice for this top. It has so much structure to it I think it makes for a cute peplum top! I usually hem my circle skirt tops with a rolled hem, but I was having some serger issues this weekend and decided to use bias binding to hem it. It was such a clean finish but definitely added to the structure of the shirt.
For the Molly Top, I used a really pretty rayon crepe from Style Maker Fabrics that Rachel from Maker Style used in her Style Maker Fabrics Spring Tour. Unfortunately this fabric is sold out now, but I have been saving it for the perfect project. While the rayon is super lightweight, the I used a stiffer bias binding on the hem again, leading to a more structured peplum.
This may be something that everyone else knows, but I used my edgestitch foot to sew the bias binding and it made it SO much easier! How did I not know this before??
What I always underestimate is how different fabrics really make patterns look so different when they’re finished. The three garments here are a stretch cotton sateen, a stretch cotton (that is similar to a bottom weight) and a rayon. Each garment has it’s own personality and structure.
Have you checked out Simple Pattern Company x Sew Caroline’s new collaboration? What is your favorite garment from the collection? I think I’m going to make a Sugar Pop Top next!
Ayda Top + Dress and Molly Top Summary:
Size Made: Small
View: Top Version with Circle Skirt for both tops and Dress Version with Gathered Skirt for dress
Fabric Used: Dress – Gertie Cotton Sateen, Ayda Top – Stretch Cotton from Fabric Godmother, Molly Top – Rayon Crepe from Style Maker Fabrics
Notions Used: Bias Tape for both tops from Bessie Pearl Textiles on Etsy and Edgestitch Foot
Ease of Construction: The instructions are clear and easy to follow – comes together quickly even with the lined bodice.
Fit: I figured it out – I was making it too big! Made the small this time and it was a good fit.
Repeatable? Yes!
**This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own**
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