Summer Top Tutorial

Summer Top Tutorial

Summer in Taiwan is always hot! We have temperatures up to 36 degrees, with a heat index over 40. Needless to say what you wear makes a huge difference to how you feel. Every summer I tend to make my own clothes. Taiwan has an abundance of Japanese sewing books to choose from, packed full of simple, easy-to-sew patterns. Check out www.japanesesewingbooks.com for patterns and reviews in English.

I buy my fabric from Yongle market in DiHua Street here in Taipei. It's a textiles wonderland, with bolts and bolts of everything you could possibly imagine. I always buy 100% cotton or linen blend fabric. This year I decided to try something a bit different. 
This top is made from 100% cotton gauze. It's light and airy and so so soft. I bought a yard, scoured and mordanted the fabric, then cut from my trusty tank top pattern. Next, I wanted to create a unique 'splash' effect on both sides. So I sprinkled it with madder powder. Next I added marigolds from my dye garden, making sure to spread all the dyestuff evenly. The madder powder gives quite a bright pink so I didn't want a big clump in one corner. You don't actually need much dyestuff to create a good effect. I still wanted a fair amount of white to show through but if you prefer more colour you can add as much or as little as you like.
Fabric cut in tank top shape with flowers and dyestuff sprinkled on top.
Next I dampened the fabric, folded it in half and rolled it tightly, securing it with string. The bundle was put it in a steamer for about an hour, then left to cool down.
When I unrolled the bundle, the marigolds and dyestuff had left amazing imprints on the fabric. 
I would recommend this type of lightweight fabric as it seems to absorb alot of the colour quite easily in a relatively short amount of time. Finally, I sewed the side seams, hemmed the edges and pressed it on a cool setting. Can't wait to wear my unique, one-of-a-kind, plant designed top this summer. All thanks to Mother Nature.
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