Mustard Nullarbor Cami

The Nullarbor Cami and Dress is a pattern that I pestered Leila for for the longest time, because I knew it was a basic which was missing from the fat sewing pattern back catalogue. I knew because folks often emailed me to ask for recommendations and there weren’t many. There certainly weren’t many that were beginner-friendly plus-size cami patterns that were drafted with larger cup-sizes and bodies in mind.

The Nullarbor takes less than a metre of fabric in many of the sizes, and the dress takes about 2 metres of 150cm wide fabric at my size (I’m in about the middle of the size range). The pattern is finished with a facing, which conveniently tidies away the straps and ensures a neat finish all the way round.

Size details: I have a 48″ bust, 40″ waist and 52″ hip and made Size 1. I probably should have made the changes to the pattern for narrow shoulders, as I know that’s a common fit issue for me, but what I might do instead is to size down to a couple of sizes so that I’m choosing the size based on my bust measurement, instead of my hip measurement. This might bring the shoulders in enough for me, and also bring the underarms up a little higher. The fit of the cami is supposed to be very relaxed, and not at all tight or ‘close to the body’.

Fabric: I used a remnant from The Fabric Store of their Dijon coloured crepe, which was approximately a metre long. I bought it on a whim and then got it home and realised that I might well never be able to make anything from it for my body (plus size patterns are notoriously hungry). You could use even less fabric than suggested by making the facing from a different fabric, which makes this a great piece for leftovers. You could conceivably pop an extra half a metre in your cart when shopping for pants and make the cami from the leftovers (great for a faux jumpsuit).

Here, I’m wearing the Nullarbor Cami with canvas Sculthorpe Pants and my chartreuse linen Waikerie Dress (View C with added collar and long sleeves), which I’ve been wearing as a duster!