Made by A Fabricista: Crop Top and Mesh Maxi -- A little love can take you a long way!

Now that fall is in full swing, there is no better time than now to break out the long skirts and boots. For this garment, I went with a graffiti type print mesh from Fabric Mart. The top is a stretch jacquard fabric also from FM that I've had for well over a year. The mesh is now sold out, but here are some alternates that would look GREAT with this same concept:

Mesh: I used this for a shorter version of this skirt and am in LOVE with the print (HERE). These are well worth a try as well (Option 2), (Option 3), & (Option 4).

Top Knit: The key here is to get a double/sweater/neoprene/jacquard knit with at least selvage to selvage stretch. (Option 1), (Option 2), & (Option 3).

Construction: I used (1) gold teeth 9" exposed zipper, (1) 29" by 5" piece of wool for the waistband and (2) 9" by 1/2" strips of wool to serve as a stabilizer for the mesh where I insert the zipper. The waistband is basically my waist measurement plus 1" for the seam allowance.

I used 4 yards of fabric for this skirt. The selvage edge is white on one end and fabric toned on the other. I used the fabric toned selvage as the bottom of my skirt. I was able to cut down the top to get my desired length without disrupting the other selvage edge which would be better than attempting to hem mesh!

I did a basting stitch 1/4" from the top of the skirt and gathered my fabric down to 30".

I then prepped my waist band by folding and pressing a 5/8" seam on both ends to encase the skirt. Once pressed, I pinned the skirt to the inside of the waist band, and top stitched it into place.

Once this was complete, I stitched and overlocked my seams with an 8" opening at the top to insert my zipper.

This process is really simple and should take no less than a casual hour.

The top was my first creation using a bodice sloper I created from a Craftsy class I took last month. The sleeves I took from a Simplicity pattern I had not yet stored properly :). McCall 6886 would be a great alternative to the bodice I used. The neckline is the same and the fit can be adjusted with ease.

This outfit came together quite well. After construction, I wore it to a private dinner party and it was a hit! My favorite part of this outfit is the mix of prints. I literally forgot I had the fabric used for the top, but found myself digging through my fabric stash determined not to create a solid top.