I’ve been trying to start to get some clothes ready for my girls to go back to school. Even though where we live they have yet to decide if kids are going back or not, they still deserve new school clothes. My oldest has been loving crop tops and the Josephine Sweatshirt. It’s the perfect pattern for me to use to add a drawstring to the hem. It already has a crop option, so there are only a few extra steps. You can totally do this with any other crop style shirt as well, and if you want to make another pattern into a crop top, there’s a tutorial on how to do that HERE! For safety purposes, be sure you are only adding a drawstring to a garment being worn by an adult or teen as they pose safety risks in children’s clothing.
Let’s Get Started!
First, you will need to get your pattern all ready to go. If you don’t already have your pattern, you can get the Women’s Josephine Sweatshirt Pattern HERE.
I cut all of my fabric out per the pattern piece instructions for the crop top option, except I added 1″ to the bottom hem length and did not use the hem band. If you normally adjust patterns for height, it may not be necessary to add length, or you may want to add more. The length of a crop top is partly personal preference.
Time to Sew!
You will follow the pattern’s tutorial to assemble your pieces. However, you can leave the bottom hem, as that is the part we are going to work on next.
Creating the Drawstring Casing:
- Lay your top out with the front facing up.
- Find the center front and mark it.
- Measure up 2″ from the bottom hem and 1/2″ over from the center on either side and mark with pins or disappearing marker.
- These marks are where you will put in your grommets or use your buttonhole setting on your machine to create the holes.
- After your buttonholes or grommets are installed, you will fold your bottom hem up 1 1/4″ to the inside. Make sure the hem covers your holes for the drawstring. Using a stretch stitch to sew your hem. Sew all the way around about 1″ up from the bottom just above your drawstring holes.
- All that’s left to do is thread your drawstring through and you’ll have yourself a drawstring crop top!
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