Backless Magic Top

Lingerie sewing has been sweeping the interwebs for a few years now, and the next logical step has to be backless tops, right? What better way to show off your hard work without resorting to a low-cut or see-through garment, than a backless top?

I've been searching for a good backless pattern but haven't come up with much other than the Bridgetown Dress. Knowing I wasn't going to make 100 backless dresses made me hesitate on spending that much for a single pattern. I was thrilled to see Simplicity 8338 debut this spring! First chance I got, I ran out and grabbed this pattern at Jo-Ann's when it was on sale. It was in my queue, albeit somewhat far down the list, until I realized I had a (rare) date night coming up and nothing new to wear. I thought that with the right fabric and with a "fancy" bra, rather than a sports bra like on the envelope, it would be perfect. Modest from the front, fun from the back (and sides, but more on that later).

At noon the day before my date with my hubby, I threw the fabric in the wash and started cutting the tissue paper. By morning the next day it was hemmed and ready to wear! Pretty good when you have three kids on top of you all the time.

I used a lightweight maroon rayon knit from Raspberry Creek. I definitely recommend a fabric with good drape, as the pattern is cut with a sweep to the hem and needs to drape well to avoid looking like a tent. The neckline and armholes are finished with knit binding (NOT bands...see my tutorial about binding if you need help) which I liked. The only thing I did differently was that I did not bind as if it were a woven, with a double-fold. I did a single fold with the raw edge inside. I topstitched with my coverstitch. If you try to double-fold with a strip of drapey knit you might jump off a building before this top is finished.

The back drape is finished with a self-facing. It might be tricky to attach if you haven't done something like this before, but I think the directions are adequate. I did not stitch down the facing as that seemed unnecessary and like it would stretch out the back and destroy the drape.

I do think that the weight of the back makes the shirt shift a bit during wear, you can see in the photo below that it looks super hi-low and even a little wonky on the sides. It's just the back pulling the front.

I'm happy to report that not only does this top work for dates when paired with a fun, lacy bra and skinnies, but it also works for exercise (magic top!). I tried it at home with some Cosmic Kids Yoga (YouTube). The front was high cut enough that it never showed off my cleavage, but the back and sides are open so I didn't get too hot.

Like I said, three kids on top of me all the time.

And speaking of the sides...it's VERY low cut there, as shown above. You will be showing off the band of your bra, and potentially some side boob depending on how much coverage your bra has. If I make this again, I may bring that up a bit. In the back, you will probably be showing off the entire band. For some reason, I hated the idea of displaying the hook and eye portion of my bras (maybe some prankster would get the thought to unhook it??) so I dug through all my bras and came up with a sports bra with a lacy racerback, the one you see in the first set of photos. It has no closure, so basically it was made for this shirt and was absolutely perfect.

When I wore it at home and to do yoga with my kids, the baby kept pulling it off of my shoulders. I ended up snipping small holes in the seam allowance at the shoulder. I happen to have a (nursing!) sports bra with straps that unhook from the back so it can be converted to a racerback. I threaded the loose straps through the holes in the seam allowance, and then rehooked them to the bra band. Viola! The shoulders stayed in place and my baby couldn't yank off the shirt anymore.

This shirt turned out even better than I hoped and will be so versatile this summer. If you're brave enough to grab onto the backless trend, I highly recommend this one!