Hey friends! If you were around here last year about this time, you would have seen my instant obsession with the Ogden Cami pattern from True Bias. The love is strong and real with this one- and I know I’m not the only sewist out there with a huge heart for the Ogden. A few reasons why it’s sooooo good: it takes less than a yard of fabric, it sews up in about an hour, it fits like a dream and is a super versatile piece for layering which makes it a year round sew. And, the Ogden pattern is a bit like Pringles because once you pop, you just can’t stop! I sew them in batches of 3-4 at a time and it’s glorious!!!

I’ll be here with a 4 part series of Ogden Cami hacks with three tutorials so that you’ll be able to easily re-create any of the hacks you see! I say 3 tutorials only because my 4th hack has already been done and done so well there’s no need to replicate a tutorial. Thank goodness for this amazing sewing community, right???

Hack #1: The Criss Cross Detail

This detail is simple, it takes very little fabric to make happen and can be applied to the front or the back of your cami- totally your preference! You’ll just need to cut two extra strap pieces to use as the criss cross pieces. Let’s get started!

1. Construct your criss cross pieces just as you do your straps. If you really want to be efficient, you can cut your strap piece on the fold (align the short end on the fold) and assemble one long strap piece and then cut it into two. It’ll save you approximately 30 seconds of your life rather than folding up and sewing the strap in pieces when you can sew one long section so it’s totally worth it, right?

2. Prep your criss cross pieces by placing them on the front (or back if that’s where you want them to be) neckline. You’ll want to eyeball where the pieces are placed along the neckline to where you like it best. There’s no science here…it’s your call. Once you have your criss cross pieces placed where you want them to be, trim the excess about 3/8″ past the neckline to allow for the criss cross pieces to be within the seam allowance of the neckline when you sew the front and front facing together. Also, use tailors chalk or some type of washable pen to mark along the neckline where the criss cross pieces should be sewn. NOTE: I pinned the straps in place to make sure they didn’t shift while I was trimming, but they do NOT get sewn to the neckline this way. Keep reading…

3. Position your straps and criss cross pieces all running the same direction along the neckline as shown. Pin to secure along one side of the “v” and baste in place. Repeat for the second side of the “v”. Before basting the second side, check a few things: criss cross pieces are sticking past the neckline the same amount, criss cross pieces are positioned on the neckline symmetrically and will align when the front is folded in half down the center (photo below) and that the criss cross pieces are not twisted. Basting the second side can be a bit fiddly but you can do it!!! Once basted, press the criss cross straps as if the cami was sewn and just check that everything looks good before you proceed through the rest of the pattern tutorial.

4. Finish the cami according to the pattern tutorial. When you sew the facing to the neckline, just be sure your criss cross straps are out of your way and they don’t get caught anywhere along the neckline. I pinned them about 1″ away from the neckline seam to help.

The Finished Look

I sewed this Criss Cross Ogden with some incredible Atelier Brunette Textured Viscose in a gorgeous Chestnut color from Imagine Gnats.

---

I hope you enjoyed this simple tutorial to add a little detail to your Ogden Cami! Please let me know what you think in the comments!!!