I really like the fit of my sleeveless brown print Meet You There dress that I made earlier this summer and thought the bodice would make a nice top. The pattern suggests adding a ruffle to the bodice to make a top, but an Australian sewist named Mel made a super cute version with an extended bodice rather than a ruffle (she used a fabric with an egg print and made a fun video to go with it) and I thought it was a great idea.

When I made my last Meet You There dress I shortened the regular AU 8 bodice by 2 inches to be closer to my natural waist. So I took that as the waist for the top and then extended the side seams by 8 inches from there, sloping them gently out about 3/4 inch and then straight down for the bottom 4 inches to make it easier to hem. I folded up the hem 1/2 inch and then another 1.5 inches and top stitched. I used batik cotton for the neck and arm-hole facings on the brown dress and it was much easier than fussing with the loosely woven gauze. So for this top I used some thin, tightly woven black fabric from my stash, probably a cotton poplin.

The top is cut from less than a yard of black cotton double gauze left over from making a skirt for my daughter. I thoroughly ironed the gauze before cutting it.

I’m very happy with the fit of this top (modeled here with PE Vacation Vibe pants I made last summer in dark sage double gauze). I sized down from AU10 for both my dress and this top — it’s about as close-fitting as I could get with a non-stretch woven with no fasteners. It does take a little effort to get it off, though. The mid neck is a great neck style for me, and I like the sleeveless shoulders that are plenty wide and easily cover my bra straps. I’m not sure the back yoke is entirely necessary, but it adds a cute detail and a convenient place to sew a tag (on the inside). I’m also pleased with how this length worked out for me — just right for a top that I won’t be tucking in. The double gauze is light weight, dries quickly, and doesn’t need to be ironed.