Made It: Silk Top à la DVF

Sewing inspiration: I thought something like the DVF top shown above would be the perfect top for the warmer months. It looks breezy-cool to wear and like a breeze to sew. I mean seriously, who wants to be inside sewing on a warm spring or summer day? Not me, so that’s why I gravitate toward fast and simple projects from May through August.

Pattern: Butterick 5463 is a basic tunic pattern that comes close to the unstructured-ness of the DVF inspiration top. I tried View D, with the elbow-length sleeves, and shortened the sleeves and the bodice length.

Fabric: Bright green silk crepe de chine from our store in NYC. Have I mentioned how much I love silk crepe de chine? I swear it’s one of the most versatile fabrics out there. It makes great tops, pants, flowing skirts and linings, and it’s easier (I think) to work with than silk charmeuse. We have silk crepe de chine in all colors in our NYC and LA stores, and tons more at Moodfabrics.com.

Finished top:

Butterick 5463 in green silk crepe de chine; paired with a turquoise necklace.

I love it when minimal effort delivers maximum results. The finished top was easy to sew, fits me perfectly, and the color is flattering and looks fantastic with jeans of all colors, especially white. I’m calling it the “Ann top,” after Ann in our silk department. (Originally I was going to make this out of a gray silk crepe de chine, but Ann persuaded me to go with the green and I’m so glad she did.)

Do you have any favorite top patterns for the spring and summer? Have you ever made a top out of silk crepe de chine? Leave a comment here because we’d love to hear from you!

• • • • • • • • • •

Save 15% on Mother’s Day gift cards! If I didn’t already work here I’d want my family to get me a gift card from Mood Fabrics for Mother’s day. Seriously, what a great gift for fabric-holics like us. Hurry, the fifteen percent savings on online gift cards only lasts until this Thursday, 11:59 pm ET. (Online only; not available in stores.)