Jolie, Jolly, et Jalie!


I like the flattering style of this INC V-neck top:


Here's a nice substitute, Jalie 2682!





I am #17 (pattern reviewer) hopping aboard the Jalie bandwagon
Here are the events leading to making this top (the pattern pieces had been traced several days ago):
(1) I received two boxes of goodies (on-line purchases) from Macys.com, one day after the other. The prices were great! For instance you cannot go wrong with an $80 top selling for $12.99! But I did...
(2) I tried on all the goodies and was disappointed that only four (better than none at least!) of the fourteen items the fit nicely! Some items looked better on the online pics than in reality; one blouse was too large and others definitely would fit my sister with the supermodel figure. For instance, a cute misses' size 12 shirt fit like a 5/6 in juniors! Maybe that's why it was so cheap! I immediately returned the items to my neigborhood Macy's.
(3) I should have learned this lesson from previous on-line purchases to "Try before I buy" or
(4) Sew my own clothes

Pattern Description
"Stylish V-neck top, raised neckline at back, with or without sleeves. View A has a zipper at front neckline for more coverage. I sewed the non-zippered V-neck front, view B.

Size
Multi-sized, 27 sizes, from child to adult! I thought I would not use a pattern sized for children and adults. I made my daughter a dress version of the child's v-neck top two weeks ago. For mommy's version, I sewed a "Y" equivalent to US size "12". With the fabric I was using I could have sewn a "W".

Likes/dislikes
* I liked the overall style and fit of this top!
* The top is very easy to sew. My second version took only 2 hours to sew (sans tracing and cutting time)
* I like the polished look of the v-neckline. I did not have to fiddle with the neckline to prevent gaposis as in other tops!
* I sewed the sleeves in flat, with no problem.
* I savored the opportunity to read French and increase my French couture vocabulary. Sewing now looks and sounds so romantic. Oui, oui, oui!
* I liked the convenience of 27 sizes in one pattern!
* I got over my initial dislikes of the pattern (tracing the pattern, vague directions) once I sewed it once and knew what to expect.

Directions
Whoa! When I sewed this for the first time (Heather's version), I was quick to jump into the first step of sewing the front bodice pieces together (self-facing and visible portion) at the center line, up to the marked circle. Then I kept referring to the illustration after turning the front bodice, so that the line of stitching became the center seam of the v-neck and the top seam of the two pieces became the neck's back center seam.

Wait....Something seemed very wrong! I had to remove the stitches because I was sewing on "right" side of the fabric instead of the "wrong" side! Then I discovered that Jalie referred to the shaded side of the fabric as the "wrong" side whereas in other familiar-maker patterns the shaded is the "right" side of the fabric. Oops! Once I got beyond that first hurdle, things started coming together, so to speak!

Overall the directions were brief and to the point (i.e. sew back to bodice back....huh?). The illustrations helped, even though there might be a discontinuity from one step to another due to steps that were common to view A and B.

Fabric used
Nice knit with groovy "Erte-esque" looking print, dotted with small sequins, from Gorgeous Fabrics. Heather's dress has the same fabric.

Modifications
* Eliminated the back center seam for a continuous flow of the print and design of the fabric.
* Shortened the length by 1". The top is still a little long, but I prefer wearing my tops that way.
* Shortened the sleeves to give the top another dimension.

Conclusion
I would rate my first experience with Jalie not so bad after all! It was a matter of getting acclimated to the experience of tracing the patterns and deciphering the instructions. Hmmmm...maybe this will prepare me for the journey to Burda WOF (waiting for 6 weeks to receive my first official issue!)

I plan to use this pattern again and again! It's now one of my favorites! I purchased two other Jalie patterns and also am looking forward to using them!

I definitely recommend this pattern if you want something tres chic that sews quickly and easily after being familiar with Jalie instructions.