Sew With Border Print Eyelet: A Sunny Two-Piece Set

There’s something so satisfying about seeing a fabric and instantly knowing what it wants to be. That’s exactly what happened with this beautiful embroidered eyelet I found—it had a scalloped border and delicate floral detail that practically begged to be a summer set. I also love that both pieces turned out to be quick sewing projects, even with the extra care I took matching the border and interlining the eyelet. Lightweight, breezy, and easy to dress up or down—this make hits all the right notes! Keep reading or watch the video here: 

That Fabric, Though...

The star of this show is the Sanibel Broderie Anglaise cotton eyelet from Surge Fabrics — a name that makes me smile because Sanibel is an island I’ve been visiting with my family since I was tiny. Total nostalgia bonus!

This eyelet is 100% cotton, including the embroidered threads, which means it behaves just like a cotton lawn but with texture. When you wash it, it gets that deliciously crinkled, quilty effect — kind of like when you wash a handmade quilt and everything softens and puckers just slightly. It won’t ever press completely flat, so if crisp and smooth is your thing, this may not be your fabric. But if you’re like me and love that texture? It’s heaven.

And the best part? It has a double border scalloped selvedge. That gave me SO much to play with.

What to Make? Two-Piece Wins the Vote

When I started this project during a little staycation sewing retreat (10 glorious days while my son was out of town), I asked my YouTube members to vote: dress or two-piece set? The two-piece won, and I couldn’t have been happier — it let me use that border print beautifully on both the top and the skirt.

The Top: Cashmerette Thorndike

This was actually my third Thorndike, and I’m just as obsessed as ever. It’s part of the Cashmerette Club* pattern for July 2025 — so if you’re reading this later, you’ll need to be in the All Access Tier to get it.

I lined up the lowest point of the scalloped edge with the hemline of the pattern, skipping the hem facing altogether. I could’ve moved it up a smidge to match the length of my other Thorndikes, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t accidentally crop it too short. That worked out perfectly — no belly showing, just a lovely eyelet detail front and center.

The Skirt: Frankenpattern Fun

I originally pulled out the Cashmerette Upton Dress* with the pleated skirt expansion but quickly realized I didn’t have enough fabric for all those gorgeous pleats. So I did what any fabric-loving sewist would do: I improvised.

I used the Upton waistband, then took the remaining fabric and pleated it on the fly — literally pinning and eyeballing it as I went to get it to fit into the waistband. I even had my daughter helping me figure out the hem length, since with a border print, you’ve got to preserve that edge!

The result? A lovely, softly pleated skirt that shows off the scalloped edge beautifully, even if it’s not technically the Upton skirt.

Making Eyelet Work: Interlining Secrets

Here’s the thing with eyelet: it’s beautiful... but it’s full of holes. So unless you want to put your underpinnings on display, you’ll need a plan.

I used a silk crepe de chine from Metro Textiles (stashed it ages ago on sale, thank you past me) that matched the ivory thread in the embroidery. My daughter suggested using a bold contrast like aqua or red — and while that would have been cool, I wanted to keep it soft and neutral to let the eyelet shine.

Top Interlining

I cut the silk about 2 inches shorter than the outer fabric so the scallops could remain see-through at the bottom. I hemmed the silk first, then basted it to the wrong side of the outer fabric. Because the Thorndike has a big French dart, I even stitched right down the middle of the dart (flat) before sewing it normally — this kept everything perfectly aligned.

And because I didn’t want the dart’s raw edges or seams to show through the holes, I treated the layers as one and finished the neckline and armholes with bias binding instead of fully lining it. I used scraps of cotton lawn for the binding.

Skirt Interlining

For the skirt, I cut the silk to hit just above my knee — about 19" long — and basted it in place before pleating everything into the waistband. Again, I hemmed the silk first. It gave a nice lining without taking away from the airiness of the hem.

I also used the same cotton lawn to face the inside of the waistband.

Construction Details: Finishing Touches

• I serged my seams and pressed them open.
• To keep the side seam allowances flat at the hem (since there's no hem to enclose them), I stitched just inside the cream embroidery along each side of the seam — totally invisible and neat.
• I tucked in the serger tails so there are no dangling threads.
• The back skirt zipper is a slot zipper, not invisible — I didn’t want to fight the bulk of the embroidery with a delicate zip, and I’m really happy with how clean it looks.

Wearing It: Together or Separately?

Honestly, I see myself wearing the top way more than the skirt — it's so easy to throw on. But I’m trying to wear more skirts, especially while I’m in a good place physically (currently not struggling with bloating or inflammation, thank you meds!). I’d love to pair the skirt with a cream tank top for a more casual look, or maybe even style the top with jeans. We’ll see!

 This outfit was such a fun experiment in combining techniques—pattern hacking, interlining, working with directional borders—and best of all, it didn’t take long to complete. Both pieces are great additions to my “quick sewing projects” list when I want a satisfying finish in just a weekend. I hope this inspires you to try something playful and personal soon!

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