Chevron Peplum Top Fake-torial

Thank you all for your kind comments about my chevron peplum top! It seems that the optical illusion effect was not lost on quite a few of you; I will put up warnings next time for those of you prone to seizures...

Anyway, here is my fake-torial, as requested, for how I made my top. If I find more appropriately striped fabric, I'll try to make another one with pictures for a real tutorial, but for now you'll have to be contented with my drawings. I think the challenging parts in making this top are really just the layout (to be sure you get the V of the chevron, and not just a big slanted line) and the stripe matching (just sew slowly and use lots of pins!). If you know how to sew a basic t-shirt, this is pretty much the same thing but with a few more pieces to put together.

You will need to start with a basic fitted tee pattern, like the Renfrew or Lydia, or you can just use a  fitted tee you already have and use it to draw your own pattern. Or if none of those options works for you, you can try this tutorial to draft your own pattern from your measurements. You'll need it to be quite tight, maybe even with negative ease, since the peplum will just hang awkwardly and the chevrons won't be smooth otherwise.

I hope that makes sense! Let me know if you have any questions. And for a more detailed neckband insertion tutorial, check out Sherry's excellent step-by-step. 

Here's what my top looks like on the inside. Please don't judge me; I don't have a serger and this fabric is so thick and stable I just left the edges raw! But hey, it works and I haven't had issues laundering it.

You can see how the neckband looks from both the outside and the inside. You can also see that my stripes didn't *quite* line up. 

The waist seam was zigzagged, and you can also see where the side and center front seams meet. 

Close-up of the armscye and the sleeve hem. 

So there you have it! Now you can make your own optical illusion top that will make people mesmerized and dizzy! One last word on fabric selection: I will say that this style probably works best with thicker, more stable knits, and not those tissue-thin drapey ones that inevitable get sucked into the underside of the sewing machine.

Lastly, there's just one more day left to enter the fabric/pattern giveaway! Go leave a comment for a chance to win free stuff!