Brocade peplum and high waist shorts

When I think of brocade, the first thing that normally comes to mind is cooler temps.  Then in comes this beautiful brocade from moodfabrics.com  . It’s medium weight, easy to sew and best of all non fraying.  Both sides are usable and if you take a close look at the pictures you can see I used the right side of the fabric for the top and the wrong side for the shorts.  Because I’m on a shorts kick lately, I knew I wanted a simple pair of shorts and a more interesting top.

The shorts were made using Vogue 8836 pants pattern also seen here with the following alterations:

-Removed  32″ from the length of the pattern

-Added a 3.5″ waist band

-Removed the back pocket flaps

The top was made using vintage Butterick 4942 view A with the following alterations:

-Used the front as the back and the back as the front

-Faced the entire bodice

-Added a  pleated 100’L x 9″ w piece of fabric to the bottom of the front and back of the top to create a peplum

-Finished the top by serging with red and white thread

 

NOTE: This top pattern is designed for stretch fabric only so if your not using a stretch make sure you cut a couple of sizes larger and add darts or prepare for a tedious fitting session.  If you plan to wear the criss cross in the back, I would recommend adding a side zipper.