Ellie & Mac "Pinspiration Challenge" : Batwing Top Review

I recently participated in Ellie & Mac's "Pinspiration Challenge" via their Facebook page. The challenge was to find an image on Pinterest and re-create it with an Ellie & Mac pattern.

I've had this image on my Pinterest board for years and was eager to recreate the look of the kimono style top (from Anthropologie). The pinned image came from a blog post by Lauren Craig. Her site, Perpetually Chic, is a great place to poke around!

From Perpetually Chic by Lauren Craig

I posed the image in the Facebook group and instantly was told that the Batwing Top would be a good fit. It also looked like a fairly simple sew, and I love a quick project.

Batwing Top/Tunic/Dress by Ellie & Mac

I don't typically wear orange/red clothing but in order to stay true to the Pin I purchased this rayon challis from Fabric.com. It's Cotton & Steel Rifle Paper Company Wonderland Painted Roses in Orange. Although it is technically orange it seems more like an orange-red. I ordered 2.5 yards for a size Medium and ended up with about 3/4 yard to spare.

With just a couple of slight modifications to the Women's Batwing Top, I managed to get a similar look.

I did make a muslin first, and man was I glad I did. The lines you sew to make the sleeve are actually topstitched, but the pattern made no mention of that and the step before was sewing another seam with right sides together. Sewing the arm lines right sides together resulted in a tangled mess. After getting some clarification from one of the pattern's original testers from the Ellie & Mac Facebook group I was ready to make my actual top!

First, I straightened out the front of the hem on the pattern piece and then added a slight shirttail hem to the sides. I just kinda eyeballed this part and it worked out well (whew).

You can't really see the shirttail hem here but here's a side shot. Jeans are Madewell.

I also changed the shape of the neckline to mimic the inspiration photo. I rounded the back, which meant I no longer needed the ties.

Then I gave front neckline a new shape with the V notch at the center. This also meant making my own facing pieces to match the new necklines.

Last and most simply I added a removable waist sash, wrapped it around the waist and knotted it twice.

This top went together so quickly, and the fit is great. I'm planning several more for the summer, including a beach cover-up and a midi or maxi length version in a fabric that's a but more subdued.

Get your copy of the Ellie & Mac Batwing Top here!

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