Brocade Peplum and High Waist Shorts

When I think of brocade, the first thing that normally comes to mind is cooler temps.  Then in comes this beautiful brocade from moodfabrics.com. It’s medium weight, easy to sew and best of all non fraying.  Both sides are usable and if you take a close look at the pictures you can see I used the right side of the fabric for the top and the wrong side for the shorts.  Because I’m on a shorts kick lately, I knew I wanted a simple pair of shorts and a more interesting top.

The shorts were made using Vogue 8836 pants pattern also seen here with the following alterations:

-Removed  32″ from the length of the pattern

-Added a 3.5″ waist band

-Removed the back pocket flaps

The top was made using vintage Butterick 4942 view A with the following alterations:

-Used the front as the back and the back as the front

-Faced the entire bodice

-Added a  pleated 100″L x 9″W piece of fabric to the bottom of the front and back of the top to create a peplum

-Finished the top by serging with red and white thread

NOTE: This top pattern is designed for stretch fabric only so if your not using a stretch make sure you cut a couple of sizes larger and add darts or prepare for a tedious fitting session.  If you plan to wear the criss cross in the back, I would recommend adding a side zipper.

Shades- Smoke & Mirror- Heels-Sergio Rossi