Aka, my first make from the Katran Fabric Market.

This top didn’t take two metres of fabric, but when I asked Sameer what I should name it he came up with that.

Largely because the most infamous moment of my Indian Fabric Market experience was when Sameer proudly exited a fabric shop having pressured the nice seller into giving me exactly two metres of fabric- rather than the ‘two and a bit’ they had been working with up until that point.

(This has now become a topic of debate between the two of us, because certain Sameers still maintain they actually did the right thing).

Anyway, I actually don’t think this is the two meter fabric, but it is the first fabric from the market that I cut into.

So.

The fabric is a very thin cotton. Not quite thin enough to need a double layer or lining, but thin enough that I do think it won’t last such a long time before it wears though.

It also has a wee bit of a stretch in it in one direction, which is what allowed me to make a lazy top with no actual fastenings.

And lazy is the right word, but top barely is.

It’s two rectangles with the sides sewn together, some bottom darts on the front side for boobs, and a small hole at the top for the head to got through.

I added a kind of neck tie, which gives the top a slightly more formal high-collared front, while also giving a bit more space for the head to get through.

And well, because I like things that can be worn in different ways, the tie also allows a bit more of an open-front casual style when the top is reversed:

(Plus there’s a little drawstring so you’ve got an even-more-casual midriff option!)

As mentioned, I only did put boob darts in one side of the top, so this side looks a little boxier too. However, the material is thin enough that it contours to the body pretty well despite the lack of shape.

If you want a couple more variations, of course you can tie it up a bit…

…or make a little bow if that’s more your jam.

And that’s about it.

Many thanks to my photographer, and to his mama for bringing me to the market in the first place!

Katran Fabric Market and the Evolution of the Tiger Express

A very quick sew, Feb 2024