I’ve hoarded this Alexander Henry fabric for many years and decided finally that this was going to be the thing I made with it: a Garnet + Ruby top. Most of my patterns are “showoff” patterns — I really love an uninterrupted print - and Garnet and Ruby are definitely in that camp as they don’t have a ton of intricate seams or other elements that distract from the fabric, which for me is what I really love about sewing garments: it’s a blank canvas that makes the fabric shine. Like I’m literally realizing as I type this that sewing clothes for me is 95% about the fabrics (the colors, the textures, the beautiful prints) and the other 5% is liking the pattern design or silhouette, or cleverness or whatever. For me it’s not about triumphing over a challenging pattern or technique or sewing my “Everest” such as jeans or a swimsuit, if that makes sense, though that can definitely be rewarding…it’s mostly about the fabric.

But back to this top! I designed Garnet and Ruby to be interchangeable so it could not be easier to make this top; you just swap out the Garnet yoke pattern piece for the Ruby yoke, and then follow the cutting and sewing instructions for Garnet. Because Garnet has a lined yoke (Ruby does not), you cut four Ruby yokes — two front, two back — and use the burrito method to line it (which…is some fun pattern cleverness, to be sure! Even I have to admit that I hold my breath every time I pull that fabric through the burrito. It’s like seeing it for the first time, every time! NEVER GETS OLD LOL!!!)

If you have no idea what the burrito method is, Amy wrote a tutorial post about it back in 2022 when we updated Ruby, plus I made a video series that you can access via the Ruby page resources section (TW: my 2013 earrings. WHOA).

This is not my first Ruby-with-sleeves rodeo; I made this striped one back before I had a Garnet pattern and I was using a hacked Trillium sleeve for Ruby, and also this lace one that I trimmed with eyelet. And I can’t wait to show you the Garnet/Ruby DRESS that Amy made!!

I’ll round all of the Garnet+Ruby posts up once they’re live with a little “cheat sheet” for each one so you’ll have notes to follow. I think you’ll find that it’s really just a matter of swapping out pieces from one pattern to the other. So easy! So fun!