Every time I scroll through my craft/DIY pins,
I can't find any spur-of-the-moment projects where I have all the
necessary materials and hours on end. Ok, it's summer, so I technically
do have hours on end, but when I'm feeling crafty, I really like to see
the light at the end of the tunnel by the two hour mark. Not many
projects can be researched, completed, and cleaned up in one morning.
But the Bina wrap immediately caught my eye. Of course, it was a Tumblr
link, meaning I had to search and search to get the actual links, so
here are the three I used: the Wardrobe Must-Have article (best visuals), the One Cloth Five Ways post, and The Bina How-To. Using my scrap peachy-pink jersey knit I though I was going to use for this top, I laid it out and started piecing my "pattern."
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| This pattern shows a "no sew" approach (hindsight!). |
I
disagree with the above tutorials about using three times the width of
your hips. I originally went with these measurements, and I could not
do any of the Bina styles because the back had entirely too much
fabric. Instead, I did what all seamstresses loathe--I took out my
stitches, re-cut my pattern, and sewed it again. Double work is not my
forte. My motto is do it right the first time.
I used my 18" ruler to
round up my measurements and make this project a little quicker. The
pieces I ended up with were 18" side panels and a 36" center panel. Top
to bottom, the wrap measures 30". Each slit was 10" long, leaving 8" of fabric on either side of the slits. I
didn't bother hemming the edges because jersey does not fray. Next time, I will make the slits 9" and the length 36". The
snaps are sewn on opposite corners. I had to guess at this part, but
after trying the shrug and the blouse styles, the snaps worked
perfectly.
All in all, I spent 15 minutes laying out
my fabric, measuring, and cutting, 15 minutes sewing, 15 minutes hand
stitching the snaps, and at least 30 minutes playing with all the
different styles in front of the mirror. I'm definitely going to need
more practice. The versatility of this wrap is perfect for lounge wear
or put-together-enough-to-go-to-the-store-in-yoga-pants. Now really
want to go to the fabric store and get more jersey! I'm thinking gray
would be perfect.
