DIY Kendall Jenner Inspired Striped Crop Top

One of my favorite things about sewing is being able to stare at a ready-to-wear piece and analyze it to see what sort of pattern pieces make up the garment. An added bonus is when you already own a pattern similar to the RTW garment that only needs little to no adjustments to achieve the look. A double bonus is when it is a fairly easy DIY that saves you a lot of coins.

I tend to peruse Pinterest quite a lot to find inspiration for future makes and one day I stumbled upon a post with Kendall Jenner in a super cute crop top. It was blue and white striped with what looked like an 1.5 inch elastic band at the bottom and sleeves that hit just above the elbow. She paired it with slim, high waisted cream pants and the whole outfit was a look.

So I am not much of a crop top kind of girl but for some reason I couldn’t keep my eyes off this one. I would only wear this top with high waisted bottoms because nobody has time for mid-drift but I don’t own many high waisted bottoms. For those who do not sew, this top is a pretty simple silhouette: simple straight sleeves and loose fit bodice that was shortened to add an elastic waist band at the bottom. Thankfully, I had some navy blue and white striped fabric from Walmart that was a close match so I was able to get down to business.

So here is how I achieved this look…

• I immediately thought of my tried and true pattern Simplicity 8602 to use as my bodice. You can use this pattern without the darts but I chose to keep the darts.
• I used view C sleeves (omitting the ruffle) and lengthened it a few inches so that it will reach just above my elbows (hemming allowance included).
• For the bodice I measured on my body where I would like the crop top to end and added two inches to that measurement for creating the elastic casing.
• I marked that measurement on my pattern and cut out my front and back pieces at that length. I assembled the top as instructed in the pattern instructions and did a rolled hem to finish the sleeves.
• To create the elastic band casing, I pressed up 1/2 inch and then pressed up 1.5 inches. Then I stitched the casing close along the edge, leaving a 2-3 inch opening to pass the elastic through.
• I cut a 1.25 inch elastic to my desired length that would fit around my waist comfortably, pinned a safety pin through one end of the elastic, and passed it through the elastic casing on the top until both ends met in the casing opening.
• Then I stitched the elastic band ends using a zigzag stitch, tucked it into the casing and straight stitched the casing opening closed. Finished!

This was a fun make and I actually made another crop top using the same method and also added a front tie using techniques from my Pattern Magic book. The only thing I would do different for next time is to make the neckline more fitted around my neck like the original garment. It’s moments like this where I get so excited that I know how to sew because I literally took a shirt that is retailed at $100 and remade it for less than $10. I’m definitely inspired to recreate more RTW celeb looks for the low-low in 2020.

I would recommend you give this a try and tag me on Instagram @createandpray so that I can see your beautiful creation. Hope you enjoyed this DIY and I look forward to catching you in the next post. Until next time loves!

Love,

Christine