Ready-to-Wear: Home Edition
Written by: Terra Bitan
Get crafty on a broke college budget.
As a broke college student with a shopping addiction, I can’t always get what I want, and right now, I really want the Mimi Wade Baby Top that Olivia Rodrigo was seen wearing. However… It’s $176, which is a crazy and unattainable price for someone with my lack of funds. After staring at this top for days, I realized I could totally make this at home for much, much less, so follow me as I show you how to do it, with minimal sewing skills required!
Materials
Baby top — You can get these anywhere, even at Michaels in the children’s section! I wanted a top with a cool design, so I looked on Depop and found an artist who screenprints her designs on different tops. Shopping on Depop is a great way to support small artists!
Lace trim — Can be found at Michaels, JoAnn’s, or even Amazon!
White thread
Sewing machine — Or, if you can’t sew, you can always buy fabric glue.
The How-To
The first thing you’ll want to do is try your shirt on. Always make sure the fit is exactly what you had in mind before proceeding. Personally, I liked the fit, so I didn’t have to do any other fixes, but this is the time to crop your shirt if you want to.
Once you go to the craft store and pick up your lace (I chose this cream color to match my top) and thread, it’s time to take out the sewing machine. Take your lace and wrap it around the sleeve cuff, and add another inch when doing this for wiggle room. Cut it and then place it with pins onto the cuff of your sleeve.
Once the lace is pinned to the cuff, you’ll thread your machine. Remember to thread your bobbin with the same color for everything to match.
Next, take your lace trim and position it to sew the flat part. The lace should be facing up! Then, you will pull your shirt under the machine and guide it through as you sew the very top of the trim. Repeat this step for the other cuff. When doing the neckline, make sure to stretch the fabric as you guide the trim through so it still has some stretch to it! When that’s all done, trim the thread’s ends, and you’re all set to rock this top out in public!