Sew a Jeans Top – Step by Step Sewing tutorial

Jeans and a nice top – how many of us have anything other this on our minds when we think of an everyday outfit ? Here is a sewing tutorial to sew such a ‘nice top’ to wear day in and day out. You just need 2 meters of fabric and some free time and of course your sewing tools

Sewing Pattern & Tutorial for a Jeans Top.

Step 1 Take body measurements

You need to take the body measurement around your bust, around your hip, around your armscye, around your arms where the sleeve (the top part and not the ruffle) ends, the length you need for your (top part) sleeve and the length of the ruffle. You can skip the ruffles if you do not want it.

Step 2 Cut the pattern pieces

Fold 2 fabric pieces of length 26 inches by the middle and mark the pattern.

You can change the armscye measurement as per your  body measurement. Cut the back slightly longer or front shorter if you want to but ensure that the side edges are the same length.

Sleeve pattern -cut two

 The bottom edge of the sleeve can be changed according to your body measurement..

Ruffle pattern – cut two.

Step 3 Sew the back opening.

On the back a slit opening of about 4 1/2 inches has to be made and it will be fastened with a button and a thread loop.

Keep a fabric piece of about 6 inches length and 4 inches wide (facing) and keep it on the center of the back bodice. Align the center of the two and pin in place.

Mark a straight slit of 4 inches or so. Mark two lines 1/4 inches from the center line coming to meet the center line at the bottom tip. This is your stitching line. Sew through that line ( Do not sew on the center line at all). When you reach the end (tip) make a stitch or two across and then continue sewing to the top.

Cut through the center line carefully – ensuring that you cut till the very tip. Flip the facing to the back.

Trim the facing to about an inch around the slit. Fold and sew in place at the back. You may want to baste stitch before sewing with the machine or simply hand stitch it in place.

Step 4 Join bodices

Sew the two bodices together – front and back together, at the shoulder.

Step 5 Sew the ruffles to the sleeve

Finish the hem of the ruffle piece.Keep the piece on top of the sleeve and stitch together. You will have to gather the ruffle piece by the center.

Either gather beforehand or gather as you sew. If you are gathering as you sew, ensure that you join the either sides with no gather first and then sew the gather. Pinning helps. Here are some gathering tips.

The finished sleeve will look like this – the length looks slightly more elongated in the picture.

Step 5

Join the sleeves to the bodice.

Step 6 Hem the bottom edges

You can finish the hem of the front and back by using a baby hem method. This is ideal gently curving hems.

Step 7 Sew the side seams

Step 8 Bind the neckline

But before that sew a stay stitching line along the neckline edge to prevent the neckline gaping.

Finish the neckline – cut a bias binding tape and sew the binding.

I kept the binding a little to the outside making a faux piping along the neckline edge . You can find tutorial to do real piping here.

Step 8 Sew the fastener on the back opening

Sew a button and a thread loop for the button or use elastic thread as the button loop.

Finito. Now go and checkout more Free women’s clothes patterns.