I’ve launched the August Bandeau Blouson Tube Top! This fun and fast to sew top for knit or woven fabrics is easy to sew, beginner-friendly and friendly to the midlife, midsize midsection! This free tube top sewing pattern is made from your measurements and includes two lengths and a fun contrast panel you can wear either center front or center back!
I’m planning a sewalong too – for now you can get the free downloadable pattern here!
This top can be made to hit at the waist, high or mid hip and is customized to fit YOU with some simple calculations (a calculator box is on the pattern.) It’s beginner friendly and goes great with all your summer wide leg pants, floaty skirts, crops and shorts.
I’ve finally recreated a favorite top! Hope you enjoy it too. And, yes, I’m 54, a midlife, midsize mom and I’m wearing this.
Styling your August Bandeau Blouson Tube Top
The Tube Top looks best with floaty bottom layers – think midi or long skirts, wide leg cropped pants, palazzo pants, barrel leg pants, wide leg trouser style pants (with pleats/zippers/waistbands). It looks great under an oversized shirt.
NONE of your belly will show in this top. You can even hide everything down to your hips if you make a hip length version. If you WANT a belly-baring one – and I’ve seen some cute blouson bandeau tube tops that are very cropped – you can simply measure over your bust to where you want the top to finish and do the same calculations from there.
Color combos to try for your August Bandeau Blouson Tube top
You can absolutely go matchy matchy with the same fabric or same color fabric or similar family of colors. But if you want more inspiration, here are some other color options:
Cream (August), with sky blue
Coral with teal
Cream with black (or gray)
Aubergine (August) with cream
Sky blue with deep navy
Purple floral with dark purple
Bright retro stripes with brown
Bright retro stripes with black
Consider making the inset panel in a sheer crochet knit and wearing it in the back.
Upcycle a crochet doily as the inset panel
Fabrics for your August Bandeau Blouson Tube Top
The August bandeau blouson tube top can be made from knit fabrics with a little mechanical stretch (no lycra) or those with cotton/ lycra or poly/lycra. You can even use a crochet sweater knit and line it with lightweight rayon lycra (cut two, put the lining inside wrong sides together, baste the top and bottom, and sew as one for the elastic casings).
The August bandeau blouson tube top can also be made from woven fabrics too – try an Essex Linen Cotton (prewash this), lightweight cotton lawn prints, stripes and geometrics. Shirt weight, if it’s not too stiff. You can even upcycle an oversized button down shirt and run the buttons up the front or back (you’ll be cutting the shirt right under the armpit area.) You can also use eyelet / broderie Angelaise for the center contrast panel (over other fabric) or wear it in the back and leave the eyelet without a backing when worn in the back.
No matter what, your bandeau blouson tube top looks great on vacation, at your favorite “beach” bar, brunch, date night. Or, if you’re like me and you own an e-commerce business and work from home, any time you like!
What to wear OVER your August Bandeau Blouson Tube top:
An oversized white shirt, or striped dress shirt. A short sleeve “tropical” shirt (I would have previously suggested you could wear this outfit as your Parrothead outfit to the next Jimmy Buffett concert, but Jimmy passed away on September 1, 2023, and I will forever be sad about this.) You can also wear it under a boyfriend blazer and over trousers as an edgy “suit”
Sewing Instructions for the August Bandeau Blouson Tube Top:
Materials:
You’ll need a yard to a yard and a half of knit or woven fabric.
You’ll need to download the August tube top pattern here
Thread
Elastic – I like 1/2″ elastic for the top but you can also use 3/8″ (narrower) elastic and 1-2″ wide elastic for the bottom hem. I prefer non roll elastic but you can use soft sew-through elastic for the bottom band and topstitch when done as well.
- Start by assembling the pieces. If you are using the center panel (you can use lace, a doily or other but be sure if you upcycle a doily, that you don’t just cut it out and sew it to the top – those edges need to be serged or double-zigzagged with your multi step zigzag stitch or it will unravel. Once you have your tube top and center panel, sew the edges together creating a panel in the front or back. You’ll now have a tube of fabric.
- Fold over the top 1/2″ and press. Fold again 3/4″ and press (if you’re using narrower elastic, fold it to 1/2″ and press). Stitch along the pressed edge you just made, leaving a 1.5″ opening to insert elastic into the casing.
- Fold up the bottom 1/2″ and press. Fold up another 2.25″ and press (or about 1/4″ wider than your elastic if you’re using a narrower elastic). Stitch along the pressed edge you just made, leaving a 1.5″ opening to insert elastic.
- Pull a length of elastic across your upper bust where the top will sit. Make it snug but not too tight. Add 1″ for overlap and cut.
- Pull a length of elastic over your widest part of your hips (if using the hip length version) or the comfortable lower waist/high hip for the waist length version. Make it a little snug but not tight. You want this to hug onto your hips but not be too tight. Leave 1″ overlap and cut your elastic to size.
- Thread your elastic through the top and bottom bands using a large safety pin. Pull both ends out a bit and overlap them 1/2″ and stitch across the elastic with a zigzag, going at least 2 times up and down to secure it.
- Tuck the elastic in the opening and smooth the fabric down so you can stitch the opening closed, matching your original band seamline.
- Try on and style! Done!
Download the August Bandeau Blouson Tube Top here. It’s FREE!
The July version of the August Blouson Tube Top
This tube top is based on one my mom gave me from the 1980s that I still wear. The top elastic is narrower and the bottom is shirred. I am sharing this instruction set so you can shirr your own too! I’ve had this top over 20 years myself (and my mom before that), with a pic of me in July wearing this with my then infant daughter.
Use a shorter waist length version of the August measurements when you calculate the body length. Omit the top and bottom casing length, as you won’t need this. Add only 1.5″ to the measured length for the allowances for the top casing and the hem on the July version.
Construct the bottom shirring:
- Fold under the bottom hem 1/4″ and another 1/4″ , press and stitch close to the edge
- Draw 7 parallel lines 1/4″ apart along the bottom of the fabric closest to your bottom hem.
- Using shirring elastic thread, either thread your machine’s bobbin by hand with the elastic and top thread matching your fabric OR use the elastic thread in your buttonhole or cord foot (the one with the groove on the bottom for the cord.
- If you’re shirring as normal, stitch along the parallel lines to create the shirring. If your machine hates shirring, try the alternative method:
- Choose a narrow zigzag, wider than your cord. Thread your bobbin and top thread normally.
- Place the cord under the presser foot with a tail you can grab onto, in the back
- Thread the cord under the groove in your presser foot and on top of our fabric
- Zigzag along the lines with the cord sandwiched in the zigzag thread, you do not need to stretch and the cord won’t shirr as you stitch yet.
- Once you’re done sewing, secure one side by stitching over the cords along the edge of the fabric. Ensure they are secure by tugging them a bit.
- Draw up the stretch cords until you are happy with the fit around your body. Pin them in place, then sew across the other ends of the stretch cords to secure them. Trim the cords after checking they are secure.
- Stitch the center back seam, across all the cords, and serge the edges or zig zag the raw edge
- Fold the top down 3/4″ inch and press. Fold under the raw edge 1/4″ and press, leaving a channel just under 1/2″ wide. Thread 3/8″ elastic through this channel, try on to adjust the fit
- Secure the elastic ends together and tuck inside.
- Sew the opening closed
- Voila! Done!