Fabric amount suggestions for Rea Top in narrower fabric!
There's a lot of very beautiful fabric out there that is narrower than the usual 140-150cm for dressmaking. The shape and the oversized nature of the Rea Top do not allow for a straightforward way to use narrow fabric, hence the absence of these measurements from the pattern instructions. However, there are certainly ways around it if you are willing to make small adjustments or add a centre seam to the front and back bodice pieces. If you have been making garments for a while, you will probably have figured this out already.
I will go through some of these options below:
NOTE: I have left out the bias binding piece 3 from these calculations as in my opinion it creates too much unnecessary fabric waste and I recommend that you use either shop bought binding or another fabric remnant to finish the neckline. Otherwise, if you really want to have the neck binding made out of the same fabric you will need to add at least 30cm just for that to the fabric amounts below. Your call... no judgement!
- So, without further ado, if making size 4-8UK from fabric that has at least 110cm of usable width, you will be able to cut the pattern pieces as they are. You will need 1.5m of fabric for View A and 1.7m for view B.
- If making size 10-24UK from fabric that has at least 110cm usable width and you are willing to shorten the sleeves by a few centimetres (depending on the size), you are able to cut the pattern pieces without a centre seam. You may have to make small adjustments to the underarm curve when shortening the sleeves. You will need 1.6m of fabric for View A and 1.8m for view B.
- If making size 10-24UK from fabric that has at least 110cm usable width and you are NOT willing to shorten the sleeves, then the obvious option is to have a centre seam on the front and back of the top. Think of it as a design feature. To do this, add seam allowance at the centre front and back of the pattern pieces and follow the cutting layout below. You will need 1.8m of fabric for View A and 2m for view B. These amounts do not take into account any pattern matching.
