Helllooooo friends! Finally blogging my last two summer sewing projects, made from the same pattern:

Hey June Handmade's Santa Fe Top

First up, a knit midi dress in this groovy blue tie-dye print.  You may have seen it it on Instagram here or here! (technically also here, but in it's starting state ;)



This dress is so comfy and swingy it makes me want to dance! This blue/teal rayon spandex knit from Joann's is a little outside my normal style, but when I saw it I knew I wanted a tank dress out of it!
I also knew I wanted to wear it to school and therefore it should have a modest neckline (surprisingly hard to find on tank sewing patterns) and that is what led me to the Santa Fe Top pattern by Hey June Handmade.

To create the dress, I simply added a gathered skirt with an elastic waist casing to the sleeveless top - View A - which I cut on the fold instead of having a center seam. Originally it was maxi length, but I felt overwhelmed by the print so I cut it off to make a midi-length (oooh...trendy ;) *More visible in the instagram photos



My second project with this pattern was a striped tee in a bold black and ivory stripe rayon knit. This is view C of the pattern, without the center seam (cut on the fold). It is also very comfortable to wear, although the flowy silhouette is not as flattering from the side when you are more than a B cup ;)




My absolute favorite thing about this pattern is that it introduced me to knit neck bindings, as opposed to neck bands. The difference is that a neck binding folds over the entire neckline from underneath, completely encasing the seam allowance and helping the neckline to lay flat. It is a super clean finish inside and out. After making these two garments this way, I may never go back to bands again!


The only disappointment with this top is the fabric - after two wears it is already pilling like crazy. I am pretty sure I got it at Joann's, but I can't find a link. Are there any good tells of fabric quality (other than the price tag) before buying a knit like this??? Have any of your favorite sewing projects ever been ruined by bad fabric? Commiserate with me in the comments below! Lol - and thanks for reading!

❤ Sally