Frilled Hem Top

Hi all! After waiting for the perfect fabric to come along, I finally got around to making my first Trend Patterns garment, the Frilled Hem Top (TPC5). Although the patterns are pricier than the brands I usually go for, the styles are (what I’d consider to be) super fashionable and the drafting is adventurous and unusual – I’d liken them most closely to DP Studio from what I’ve tried.

I used contrasting checks to highlight the frill. I think the fabric is poly or viscose – it’s really light and drapey and very nearly a little see-through. I’d suggest going for a fairly lightweight fabric as anything heavier would cause too much bulk.

The pattern requires 1.9m of fabric (140cm wide) in total. I bought 1.5m of my main fabric and 1m of the white contrast check for the frill. The frill panel was much longer than I realised, so I had to cut it on the cross grain (my fabric was 150cm wide), but if you want a contrasting frill and don’t mind doing this, then you could actually get away with buying just 0.5m.

The making process was hugely enjoyable and just the right amount of challenging. The instructions are good and the photographs are especially helpful, but it’s not your typical top with a front, back and side seams, so naturally there were a few points where I got a little confused. All I can say is that the notches/pattern markings are absolutely essential, so if you’re confused about which pieces you’re joining where, use these as a guide because they’re spot on.

I’m so pleased that this pattern turned out well and I couldn’t recommend it more! It’s well drafted, unusual in style (without being too ‘out-there’) and interesting to wear. I’ve been wearing mine both loose and tucked in at the back to emphasize the diagonal fall of the frill from back to front. I’ll definitely be making a second version!

For a full review and lots more pictures, see this blog post: http://www.magnificentthread.com/2017/09/trend-patterns-frilled-hem-top.html