DIY Easy Sleeveless Choli / Crop Top with Double Bows!

Ohhh the festive season has begun!

Thanksgiving family fun, Black Friday shopping fun, and holiday dancing fun…. 😀

(oh, speaking of Black Friday, check out Sparkly Belly’s Black Friday fun here!)

Since holiday events are coming up, in the next 3 posts, I’m going to do a holiday DIY costume series where I’ll show you how to make this sleeveless choli top, a super-easy no-sew skirt and sparkly star appliques! You’ll be ready for a holiday hafla! 😀

In this video, we’ll make this sleeveless choli top. A choli top is one of the most requested costume pieces to do a tutorial for, and I finally made one! From the front, it looks like a cute, simple choli or crop top. But from the back, boom! You’ve got a cute bow with tassels and a big bow! It’s nice and fitted, and you can adjust the fit with the ties. Let’s get started!

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To make this sleeveless choli top, you need:

Stretch fabric – You’ll need 1/2yd (1/2m), 4 way stretch fabric.

Matching colour thread

Paper for pattern making – any paper would do. I’m using leftover wrapping paper.

A fitted tank top to use as a pattern

Cords – I’m using 2 types today. One for making tassels, 6m of it. The other one for creating ties, 1.5m.

How to Make a Sleeveless DIY Choli Top / Crop Top with Double Bows

First, fold your tank top in half lengthwise, and place it along the straight edge of your pattern paper. And simply trace along the outline of the tank top. Here, if you want, you can make the neckline deeper or shallower – whatever you like.

From the top of the shoulder seam, measure 13in (33cm) down. This will be the bottom edge of the choli top.

Then add a 1/2in (1cm) seam allowance all around the pattern except for the straight edge. Cut along the lines.

Next, fold your stretch fabric in half, and make sure the fold is perpendicular to the direction of stretch. It’s 4-way stretch, so the fabric stretches both ways anyway, so the stretchier way should be perpendicular to the fold.

Place the pattern on the fabric, and the straight edge should be right on the fold. Trace the pattern and cut along the lines. This is your front panel.

Next, fold the pattern at the inside edge of the shoulder seam lengthwise.

Place the folded pattern on your fabric, and the direction of the stretchier way is parallel to the bottom edge of your pattern. Trace the pattern.

On the fold of the pattern, we’ll measure 5in (12cm) from the bottom. Then from the bottom, measure 2in (5cm) out, and from that point, measure 3in (7cm) up. Connect these 2 points with a nice curve.

From the bottom of the pattern, measure 20in (50cm) and draw a straight line. From the line, measure 3in (7cm), and connect the lines. This long section is going to be one of the ties in the back.

Flip the pattern and repeat the steps to create the other side of the back panel. Cut along the lines, and you get these 2 panels.

From here, it’s really simple. Place the front panel and back panels right sides together, and sew together the shoulder seams and side seams with a zigzag stitch (or any other stretch stitch you like).

Then fold in all raw edges 1/2in (1cm) towards the wrong side like this. You can fold even the curved sections like the neckline and armholes, and do a zigzag stitch all the way around.

Next, take your cord for ties, and cut it into 2 pieces that are 20in (50cm) long. Put these pieces aside and keep the leftover piece separately.

Take your cord for tassels, and use half of it to make your first tassel. For this one, I simply wrapped the cord around my fingers.

Take one of the 20in cords and put it under all the tassel cord and make sure it doesn’t fall apart. Take it off your hand, and make a tight knot.

Then take the leftover cord and wrap it around the tassel cord a couple of times and make a knot. Take scissors and cut all the loops, and you get a cute tassel!

Repeat the steps to make another one. I applied a drop of fabric glue to each knot so the knots won’t unravel later.

Take the end of the cord with a tassel, and place it at 1in (2.5cm) from the shoulder seam on the back and simply sew it there. Do the same for the other side.

And that’s it! It’s nice and simple, so it’s great for a practice wear or performance costume. You can adjust the neckline to show your decorated bra from the inside. I just love the 2 bows at the back, and the way they fly as you move is so cute!

Hope you liked this tutorial, and share it with your dancer friends! 😉

In my next video, you’ll see how to make a matching skirt. Believe it or not, it’s a no-sew project! Sign up for the Sparkly Belly newsletter so you won’t miss it!

Black Friday Fun!

As I mentioned earlier, there’s a Black Friday event happening on Sparkly Belly.

I’m giving away a gift of learning this weekend (Nov 25-27, 2016)! 😀

Check out Sparkly Belly’s Black Friday fun here!

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!

P.S. Pin this image for future reference 🙂

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