I made a crop top last summer, from fabric that my partner got for free through our local "Buy-Nothing" group, that I wanted to zhuzh up a little. It’s made with a really simple pattern; two long rectangles that are ruched down with elastic. I originally left the frilly edge raw because the knit fabric didn't fray and I thought it looked good enough. However when wearing it, the fabric is a little too light and it didn't like to hang correctly.

I went to wear it one day and found myself putting it back for that reason and decided to do something about it right then. I have no idea what I originally had planned for that day, but my new ✨spontaneous✨ plan was fixing that top!

I chose to add a simple single-crochet border using a pretty cream cotton bouclé yarn that I got from Swanson Fabrics, and got to work. I used an awl to make openings around the edge of the shirt, about 2mm to so from the edge, and then just put my smallest crochet hook through those holes as if they were a foundation stitch. In true spontaneous project fashion, it took me a lot longer to finish than I expected…  Getting all the way around the raw edge of the shirt ended up taking me about 3 hours. Since it's ruched, it looks a liiiittle bit smaller than it actually is. But I think the results were worth it! The crochet edge gives it just enough weight for the ruffle to hang nicely, and I think it makes the top look a little more finished.

Here’s a before and after for comparison:

 I have a few more small projects, like this one, I want to work on with my clothes. My goal is to update my wardrobe with more repairs/zhuzh, rather than more purchases, this year!