Spring Top Series final In the Folds Peplum Top

We're rounding up our Spring Tops series today with another item to add to the growing Drapery "never say never" file. A top with a peplum - and a frilled peplum at that! I'd sworn off both of those things in the past as a no-go zone for me and my shape, but, well, here we are.

Let's lay the blame squarely on the lovely Emily, whose pattern company In the Folds produced the Rushcutter dress, a Drapery favourite from last Winter. The Peplum top is a free downloadable Emily produced for Peppermint Magazine's Sewing School series. At 21 pages it's not a very big PDF - and, honestly the Rushcutter was such a pleasure to sew, I was fairly sure that the Peplum pattern would be cut and paste worthy.

And indeed it was. The Peplum Top comes together so nicely, the drafting - as with the Rushcutter - is spot on. This is the perfect beginners pattern, the directions are very thorough and there's a nifty glossary of terms as well (over and above for a freebie pattern!) 

My top was made in one of our new washed linens, Creamsicle, a slightly nubbly off-white linen with a teensy hint of peach. Emily suggests lightweight fabrics for this top, and this linen leans on the bulky side of lightweight, so I was ready to take out some of the gather-volume if needed. But there's something weighty and pleasingly swingy about wearing a big-ass frill in this fabric, so it's staying put. Note also, that because of the width of the peplum pieces, this top can't be made in a fabric under 150cm wide (though I think you could probably get away with 140cm width too). I cut this out flat as per Emily's suggestion and was able to get this out of 1m rather than the 1.2m.

As far as sizing goes, I sewed size E based on the finished measurements, but I could have stuck with the same size that my Rushcutters were made in (D). It's a loose-fitting style, though, so it's not a big deal. The pattern is drafted for a B cup, and even though I wear a D, there was no need for any adjustments. Yay!

  
The back - with swing! Again, I went outside my comfort zone and resisted the urge to round off that deep point at the back with a higher back neckline. (Much discussion about age and baring of flesh going on in these parts lately, but we say forge ahead and show those upper arms none the less, yeeks). On the baring-of-flesh theme, it's also worth mentioning that the finished length of this top is around 40cm, so if I was going to make it to go with jeans I'd personally want to lengthen it. 

Close up of the shoulder panels - a lovely extra detail, and I think they help achieve a nice fit too.

The verdict? The Peplum Top is fun to wear, and a quick summery sew. Ticking all the spring top boxes!

So, there ends our foray into Spring Tops. Thanks for coming along for the ride with us! Now it's time to fill those wardrobe holes with something to go with all these tops - or perhaps even a Summer frock...

Read about our other Spring Tops here:

Thread Theory Fairfield Buttonup
Pattern Fantastique Aeolian Tee
Deer & Doe Ondee
Modal-Tencel-Spandex t-shirts
Cashmerette Springfield Top
Vanessa Pouzet Hippie Top
Deer & Doe Melilot Shirt (View B)
Grainline Studio Willow Tank

- Fiona & Jane xx