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Ellie and Mac - Twist it up Top

This is a really quick sew! If you want something to wear tomorrow, the Twist it Up top pattern definitely fits the bill, I made it in less than one day, including taping my pattern together.

It's nice to have a top that wears like a t-shirt but isn't just a t-shirt, has a little something interesting about it, you know? I like the twist detail to give in that little bit of interest. The same reason I like the tie-front top hack I did a few months ago. I am trying to sew more things that fit with my daily wardrobe and about 50% of the time that is a nice top and jeans.

I had a little bit of the white cotton interlock I used on my Ellie and Mac Everyday Tee and thought I could use a Twist It Up. White tops are so hard to find ready to wear and I love wearing them in the summer.

Alterations

While I am taller than the height the pattern is drafted for (drafted for 5'5" and I'm about 5'7") and should have added an inch, I actually didn't have quite enough fabric to make it the normal length even, so...I looked at the tester pics and since it looked pretty long on most people, and I didn't have enough fabric, I shortened it about an inch.

I folded the pattern up on the lengthen/shorten line and held it up against Bella, my dress form, and it looked long enough still and I went with the shorter length. I am quite glad I did because it's still a fairly long top.

According to the pattern directions, I should also have graded from a L bust to an XL waist/hip but after my Lucky Girl top was kind of spacious, I decided to make a straight size L. For a hot second I was worried it was too small after sewing my twist but it's actually perfect!

It might have been my fabric, interlock is less drapey than some other knits, but I couldn't get my twist to stay both flipped to the back and the hole looking small enough on it's own. According to the directions, I should just turn it to the back and it should stay there but it kinda doesn't, so I stitched it down.

Overall Review

 It's a generally cute shirt and a great basic. I can see myself making more of these, perhaps with the twist moved to the side, and it came together really quickly. Including taping the pattern pages together, I made this in less than a day. However, beware that it will be very long if you follow the lengthening recommendation and there is a lot of ease in the waist/hip.

Version 2
I made my second version in some kind of knit (maybe a poly crepe?) from Made of Love Fabrics. I got the fabric in one of their "build your own box" promos, so I'm not exactly sure what it is. It has a nice drape and a little texture. 

I moved the twist over to the side for this version. This is a really straight forward hack, I just traced out the front pattern piece as 1 piece that was not cut on the fold on to my trusty bee paper and then put the flower twist section on the side rather than in the middle. Mine is about 3 inches from the side.

While this fabric has more drape than the cotton knit I used in the my first version, I still had to tack my twist to the back to get it to stay. Otherwise it kept pulling to the front.


I am also really proud of how well I matched the stripes at the side seams! I don't usually buy stripped or plaid fabrics for fear of matching. :) Sadly I didn't do the vertical stripes at the shoulder, maybe next time!

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