Unit 6: Garment Construction: Tops

Length

2 weeks

Unit Description

Students construct a wearable or display upper-body garment such as a simple woven tank, elastic-neck or bias-neck top, boxy tee-style top, or an upcycled top made from a larger garment. The focus is upper-body fit, neckline and armhole finishing, shoulder and side seams, sleeve or sleeveless options, and clean edge finishes. This unit completes the construction core so that students who choose a top, shirt, or dress for their final project (Unit 9) have already practised the key skills.

Historic Notes

Upper-body garments carry meaning through line, fit, and finish. Tunics, blouses, shirts, smocks, and bodices have signalled work, status, gender expectation, region, and era. The button-front shirt moved from undergarment to workwear to formalwear to everyday basic. Necklines, collars, and sleeves are some of the most visible places where fashion changes from decade to decade, which makes the upper body a rich place to study silhouette and detail.

Contemporary Uses

Tops are the highest-volume category in most wardrobes and in the fashion industry. Designers balance comfort, movement, layering, neckline and armhole finish, fabric behaviour, inclusive fit, and ease of care. Tee-shirts, blouses, button-ups, tanks, and knit tops dominate fast fashion, which also makes them a powerful place to practise slower, better-made, longer-lasting construction.

Learning Targets

• I can plan an upper-body garment with cost, fit, and time in mind.
• I can lay out and cut a top accurately and on grain.
• I can sew shoulder and side seams and keep front/back orientation correct.
• I can finish a neckline and armhole cleanly using an appropriate method.
• I can finish a hem and sleeve or sleeveless edge.
• I can test upper-body fit and revise.

Key Notes

Project Planning

Before cutting, students must complete:

• Pattern or self-drafted block choice (or a flat "trace an existing top" plan for upcyclers).
• Measurement check: chest/bust, shoulder, neck, armhole depth, garment length.
• Fabric approval.
• Cost estimate.
• Cutting layout.
• Construction order.
• Risk list.

Upper-Body Construction Skills

• Front/back and right/wrong side identification.
• Stay-stitching curved necklines to prevent stretching.
• Shoulder seams, then neckline finish, then side seams (a common reliable order).
• Neckline finishes: narrow turn-and-stitch, bias binding, facing, or ribbing band for knits.
• Armhole finishes: bias binding, facing, or set-in/dropped sleeve if ready.
• Hemming curved and straight edges.
• Pressing curves over a ham or rolled towel.

Necklines Are Where Tops Pass Or Fail

Necklines stretch out easily and show every wobble. Students should stay-stitch first, test their chosen finish on a scrap of the same fabric, and press at each step. A clean neckline reads as "professional" more than almost any other detail on a top.

Hands-On Assignment: Wearable Tops Project

Task

Construct one upper-body garment. Beginner options include a woven boxy tank or an elastic/bias-bound neckline top. Advanced options include set-in or dropped sleeves, a facing or full bias-bound neckline and armholes, a knit top with a ribbing band (if a serger is available), or an upcycled top refashioned from a larger garment or men's shirt.

Cost

Low and controlled. Recommended:

• Thrifted sheet, larger garment, or fabric: $0-$8.
• Bias tape or self-made binding: $0-$3.
• Thread: school supply or $3.
• Optional ribbing/elastic/closure: $1-$5.

Students must submit a cost plan before buying. Upcycling an existing larger garment is encouraged as the lowest-cost pathway and should be valued equally.

Worksheet

1. What top are you making and who is it for?
2. What fabric will you use, and is it woven or knit? Why does that suit the garment?
3. Which neckline finish will you use, and why does it match your fabric?
4. List your construction order from cut to final press.
5. Identify two fit or construction problems you might hit, and how you will check for them.
6. After fitting, record one change you made or should make.

Quiz/Test

1. Why do we stay-stitch a curved neckline?
2. Name two ways to finish a neckline.
3. Why is the order "shoulder seams, then neckline, then side seams" useful?
4. What is the difference between a facing and a bias binding?
5. Why does a knit top usually need a different neckline finish than a woven top?
6. Scenario: Your neckline came out stretched and wavy. Name two likely causes and one fix.

Answer key: 1 to stop the bias curve from stretching out before finishing; 2 turn-and-stitch, bias binding, facing, ribbing band (accept any two); 3 it finishes the neckline while the piece is still flat and easy to handle; 4 a facing turns to the inside and is cut to the edge shape, a binding wraps and encloses the raw edge; 5 knits stretch, so the finish must stretch with them (ribbing/zigzag/stretch stitch) or it will pop or ripple; 6 likely causes: no stay-stitching, stretched while sewing, wrong finish for fabric — fix: stay-stitch, ease/steam-press, or rebind with a slightly shorter binding.

Rubric

References and Further Learning

Watch

• How to Sew A Set In Sleeve | Easy Sewing Steps — easing and stitching a set-in sleeve into a bodice armhole (Made Label).

Read

• Up to Date Dress Cutting and Drafting, Part 1: Bodices and Sleeves (1907) — a historic guide to drafting bodices and sleeves, free to read (Internet Archive).
• Pattern Drafting (1920) — the Woman's Institute method for drafting a fitted bodice and neckline, free to read (Internet Archive).

Explore

• Victorian fashion history: 1890s — how necklines and dramatic "leg-of-mutton" sleeves defined a decade (V&A).

_Links were verified at publication; if one moves, search the title._