About
The Spring Valley Bandeau is such an easy top to make. You can use this as a template to make your own bandeau tops using any stitch pattern. It’s honestly as simple as making a rectangle.. if you can crochet a rectangle, you can make this top. I worked it in a stitch pattern that alternates sc and ch, however feel free to replace this stitch pattern with literally any stitch pattern you like. I used WeCrochet Hawthorne for this top, but you can replace this with any fingering weight yarn (or any other weight of yarn if you prefer)! This piece is very customizable and you can adjust the length, the width, the stitch pattern, add straps, and add any amount of ruching you like.

Ruching
The ruching (or the pinching) in the front of the top is as simple as weaving a strand of yarn in a U-shape and pulling tight. That’s it!

Sizing
This is a simple tutorial to make a bandeau for any body. No matter your shape or size, you can customize it to fit your exact measurements. This pattern is #SizeInclusive
The sample shown is worn on a 34” bust and measures 29” in circumference, for a top that is worn with approx. 5” of negative ease. The negative ease is crucial when making this top, otherwise it will fall down your body as soon as you put it on. This may seem like a lot of negative ease, but this is what keeps it in place during wear. You want it to be snug to your body, but not restricting. You can try with less negative ease, for example 3-4” of negative ease, but it’s better to have your finished bandeau to be on the smaller side than have it too big. If you work it too small, you can always work a few rows of single crochet to the edge before joining into a tube to add some more fabric. You cannot, however, take fabric away if you make it too big.

The linked blog post illustrates all of this and also how to add very simple straps if you feel you need extra support.

How To Wear
This top can be worn braless, with bra, or with pasties - whatever you prefer. Just note that if you plan on wearing a bra, take your bust measurement while wearing your bra. If you plan on wearing it with just pasties, make sure you take your bust measurement braless to get an appropriate fit for your body.

Construction
This top is worked in a simple rectangle that gets seamed together. The reason I chose to seam it vs. work in the round is so that you have another chance to adjust it once you’re finished. You can also work it in a spiral or in joined rounds, but this eliminates any opportunity to adjust it at the end. If it’s too tight, you won’t have a chance to add more fabric along the edges just in case. But, if you are comfortable with this and are quite confident you can achieve the proper measurement, go ahead and work in a spiral or in joined rounds if you prefer this.

Yarn
WeCrochet/Knit Picks Hawthorne yarn in colourway Eliot
Since this design is a tutorial-style that you make to your measurements, the yardage provided is only an estimate. The total yardage depends not only on your bust measurement, but your desired length. My top shown used 76g or 275yds. This equates to about 3/4 of one skein of the recommended Hawthorne yarn.

I usually wear a size small, and my top is worked quite short. I would say the yardage would range from 275-1000yds (or 1-3 hanks of Hawthorne) to fit sizes XS-5XL.

Note - I used the WeCrochet/Knit Picks Hawthorne colourway “Eliot”.