Melon Crop Top Introduction :

Below you will find the instructions for the scrap busting pattern, Melon Crop Top from The Linen Lab. This “pattern” is designed to be created with just two rectangles, a drawstring and one or two wide elastic bands (optional). This is a beginner friendly design and can be made in 1-3 hours depending on skill level/ chosen view. This pattern was designed for a B cup, for larger or smaller cups, consider sizing up or down for the front panel. If you are between sizes, please size up to ensure the top will fit. You can also match the front panel to your bust and back panel to your waist, if your bust size on the chart is larger than your waist. I would view the size chart as a minimum size, especially with view B and C (elastic waist), you may want to size up for a roomier feel.  This top is drafted for a height of 160 cm, so extend or shorten the length if needed. This is designed to sit at your natural waist, well above the belly button. We also encourage you to get creative with this and hack it to your heart's desire! You could try lengthening this to make longer shirts, dresses and everything in between! 

This pattern comes with three views and 2 drawstring shoulder strap options: tied at the shoulder or attached. 

View A – Loose waist without elastic band 

100% Linen Thin Stripe Fabric 6495 

View B – One elastic band with a ruffle effect below the elastic

View C – Two elastic bands for a fully elastic waist

Drawstring options – Attached or Shoulder tie

Size Chart (cm / inches)

US Size	Bust (cm)	Waist (cm)	Bust (in)	Waist (in)
0	66	58	26	23
2	71	63	28	25
4	76	68	30	27
6	81	73	32	29
8	86	78	34	31
10	91	83	36	33
12	96	88	38	35
14	101	93	40	37
16	106	98	42	39
18	111	103	44	41
20	116	108	46	43
22	121	113	48	44
24	126	118	50	46
26	131	123	52	48
28	136	128	54	50
30	141	133	56	52
32	146	138	57	54
34	151	143	59	56
36	156	148	61	58
38	161	153	63	60
40	166	158	65	62

 

Notions: 

3 cm or 2.5 cm (1.25 in or 1 in) wide elastic band (View B – 1 piece, View C – 2 pieces), thread, ruler, fabric chalk/marker.

Fabric Requirements: 

In most cases, you should place your fabric on the grain, in which case, without any length adjustments, all sizes will fit on 95cm/ 1 yd. Depending on the fabric width and size, you may be able to put two rectangles horizontally next to each other, using just 50 cm/ 20 in of fabric (not including the drawstring). We encourage you to use your leftover scrap fabric to make this top! This may look great in many fabric types, but at The Linen Lab, we always suggest linen, linen blends, or other natural fibers! Light weight and medium weight woven fabrics with good drape will work best.

Fabric Cutting Guidelines (Inches): 

US Size	Front Width (in)	Front Length (in)	Back Width (in)	Back Length (in)	Elastic Length (in)	(Option 1) Drawstring Length (tie) (in)*	(Option 2) Drawstring Length (attached) (in)*
0	16 ½	20	13 ½	18	22	40	34
2	17 ½	20	14 ½	18	24	43	35
4	19	20	15 ½	18	25	49	36
6	20	20	16 ½	18	27	51	37
8	21 ½	20	17 ½	18	28	53	38
10	23	20	19	18	30	55	38
12	23 ½	20	19 ½	18	32	57	39
14	25	20	21 ½	18	33	59	40
16	27	20	23	18	34	61	41
18	29	20	25	18	36	63	41
20	30 ½	20	27	18	38	65	42
22	32 ½	20	28 ½	18	39	67	43
24	33 ½	20	30 ½	18	41	69	44
26	34 ½	20	31 ½	18	42	71	45
28	36	20	32 ½	18	43	73	45
30	37	20	34	18	45	75	46
32	38	20	35	18	47	77	47
34	39 ½	20	36	18	48	79	48
36	40 ½	20	37 ½	18	50	81	49
38	41 ½	20	38 ½	18	51	83	49
40	43	20	40	18	53	85	50

*Drawstring width is 1 ½ in.

Cut your elastic and drawstring longer in case you want to increase the length for comfort.

Fabric Cutting Guidelines (Metric): 

US Size	Front Width (cm)	Front Length (cm)	Back Width (cm)	Back Length (cm)	Elastic Length (cm)	(Option 1) Drawstring Length (tie) (cm)*	(Option 2) Drawstring Length (attached) (cm)*
0	42	50	34	45	57	103	88
2	45	50	37	45	61	111	90
4	48	50	40	45	65	126	92
6	51	50	42	45	69	131	94
8	54	50	45	45	73	136	96
10	58	50	48	45	77	141	98
12	60	50	50	45	81	146	100
14	64	50	54	45	84	151	102
16	69	50	59	45	88	156	104
18	74	50	64	45	92	161	106
20	78	50	68	45	96	166	108
22	82	50	72	45	100	171	110
24	85	50	77	45	104	176	112
26	88	50	80	45	108	181	114
28	91	50	83	45	111	186	116
30	94	50	86	45	115	191	118
32	97	50	89	45	119	196	120
34	100	50	92	45	123	201	122
36	103	50	95	45	127	206	124
38	106	50	98	45	131	211	126
40	109	50	101	45	135	216	128

* Drawstring shoulder strap width is 4 cm.

Cut your elastic and drawstring longer in case you want to increase the length for comfort.

Instructions 

Before starting: Make sure your fabric is preshrunk and ironed. Today we are using our Classic Charm: 100% Linen Mini Gingham 6833 fabric for this tutorial! 

1) Check your size on the chart above. Then cut out a front and back panel, along with a strap 4 cm (1.5 in) wide (check chart for length). The front panel is longer and wider; while the back is more narrow and short. If you prefer a baggier style, size up from the size chart above. If your bust size is a much higher size range than your waist, you can try making the front panel match your bust size and the back panel match your waist. If you bust is in a lower size range, I do not recommend sizing down to make sure the waist still fits! Tip for cutting: Getting a straight line is more challenging than you would expect. Measure several times and check that your lines are straight to get perfect rectangles! Fabric with lines (stripes, checks, plaids) definitely helps! 

2) Mark or notch the following places on your rectangles. Mark both left and right sides. While the two rectangles are not the same size, the notch measurements remain the same. It will be useful to make a toile to get the middle notch at the right space for your body, different body shapes may require this to be lowered or raised. (image not to scale):

Note: If you have adjusted the length of the pattern, keep the top and bottom measurements the same. Adjust the center line as this will be the armscye.

3) Fold and press a line at the bottom two notches and top two notches on each piece. After you press, unfold the fabric. This will create a line for you to follow later after attaching the pieces. Mark the top and bottom so you don’t get confused later.

 

12) Use a safety pin or other object to thread your drawstring through the casing. Send your drawstring through one top casing, then loop it back through the other side. If you want to keep your drawstring loose for a tie finish, then you will need longer drawstrings (see chart above) . If you want to fix your drawstring to make permanent shoulder straps, adjust your straps to your desired length and stitch them at the shoulder. Don't worry if it doesn't look pretty, we can hide this inside the top casing later.