Taunton's Threads - For people who love to sew
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From the pages of Threads magazine Twist-It-Up Bandeau Top Take two fabric triangles and 30 minutes to get four great looks One rainy morning, I decided to play around with different draped designs on my dress form. I picked up some silk dupioni triangles -- left over from cutting bias strips -- and quickly configured a sophisticated strapless top. Here, I'll show you how to whip out your own custom-fit version in less than half an hour. When you try on the garment, I encourage you to play around with the long ends. You'll discover that you can twist and tie the top in many unique ways, as you would in an Indian sari.
The best fabric choice for this garment is a lightweight woven fabric, such as dupioni, tissue-weight linen, batiste, or lawn. I always wash the fabric before I cut and sew it to soften it up and help fray the edges. Prewashing also ensures that the garment can be laundered after each wearing. (No dry-cleaning, thank you very much.) I love to use iridescent fabric -- defined by a different color yarn in the lengthwise and crosswise weaves -- for this top. The different-colored yarns are exposed during the fraying process, which helps define the triangles' edges. And, hey, when you twist and tie the fabric, the edges make all the difference. Measure, cut, and fray Because you'll wrap the triangles on your body or dress form to get a custom fit, your measurements don't need to be exact. You'll need only a high-bust measurement to form the triangles. Measure To get your high-bust measurement, wrap a tape measure around your body above the swell of your breasts, right under your arms. Cut Cut your fabric into triangles. Cut your fabric equal to the high-bust measurement plus 5 inches or more for overlap. To yield two triangles for a 34-in. or 36-in. bust, you'll only need 1 to 1-1/4 yards of fabric. If you have a larger bust, you'll need more fabric (see Desire More Coverage? for more info). Using chalk and a long ruler, draw a line across the rectangle as shown. Cut using a rotary cutter and mat.  Fray To get a delightful fray along the cut edges, remove some yarns, then toss the fabric in the washer and dryer. Further fluff the edges with a soft, dry toothbrush. Wrap and sew in a flash There really are no rules in wrapping the triangles around your body. Feel free to be creative in the arrangement of the points and cut edges. See Other ways to wear for some suggestions. Wrap On a dress form or your body, wrap the triangles at the high bust (under your arms), aligning the selvages as shown. Pin in place.  Sew Sewing is only required at the top edge, so the construction takes mere minutes. Using a straight or zigzag stitch, sew all around the top edge to anchor the triangle layers. To figure out how much clear elastic you'll need, wrap it around your body at the high bust. It should be a snug fit but not tight. Pin the elastic inside the top edge, centered over the previous line of stitching. Sew in place with a zigzag stitch.
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