Bow-hemian

It is about time to sew a woven top after looking at my fabric stash. This pattern has beckoned me for weeks now.
 

 

From Patternreview.com's description (New Look's description was vague): This easy to sew pattern includes a three-quarter, long sleeves or sleeveless tunic/top with split neck and optional shirttail hem and front pockets. The pants are elastic waist pull-on with tie front. I sewed view "C" that included the "laced-up" front consisting of tie made from the same fabric threaded through 6 loops. Instead of letting the tie "suspend" as shown on the model, I tied it in a bow.  

The directions are written in a logical fashion. The diagrams helped especially in constructing the front facing and the hoops through which the long nearly spaghetti thin ties were threaded.


Size: U.S. size 10-22. I sewed a "12" at a top tapering to a "14" 

Fabric Used: From fashionfabricsclub.com, "Peach beige, dusty orange, aqua blue, aqua green, magenta purple, black and white modern floral print. This very lightweight, soft cotton/polyester fabric has faint woven pinstripe. " I wore a camisole beneath my top due to it being semi-sheer. 

 

Favorite/Not-So-Favorite Features
I like the style of this top reminiscent of 1970's peasant tops. It is comfortable, a tad loose-fitting, but not sack shaped. The keyhole neckline with each tie end threaded through 3 of the 6 hoops (left edge, right edge) is a distinctive style feature. I was not certain if what I see as a "slight sweetheart shape" of the front of the neckline was intended after binding it with a bias strip (cut from the same fabric). As I compared my blouse with that worn by the model, I noticed our necklines look similar. The interfaced fabric facing went over the a portion of the bound edge at the front of the neckline, hence, producing the same type of curvature. But the "lattice effect" on the keyhole front looked elegant on the diagrams, but not so on my top. The number and width of the hoops do not work well with a lightweight and semi-sheer fabric. So, instead of leaving the ties suspended loosely as shown on the model, I tied them into a bow. 

 

Modifications/Alterations
* 1" petite alteration at the waist 

*Added 4 colorful beads at each end of the tie (and then knotted each to end) for embellishment and as an alternative to stitching those itty bitty ends of the narrow ties. *Omitted the side slits. I am not a fan of them.

*Omitted the side slits.

*French seams


 Conclusion: The style works well to showcase the print of the fabric. I recommend this pattern due to its ease of construction and classic style. This is an on-trend piece and works well with slacks, jeans, and skirts. The top was comfortable that I wore it all day to work and back-to-school shopping with my daughter in the early evening (took the photo with shelves of containers).

Return of the Mock with New Look 6301

 This week I added three garments to my wardrobe.  I sewed two sleeveless tops (this time with the mock turtleneck) from McCall's 6796 and a faux wrap dress from New Look 6301.

Pattern Description:
Mock wrap dresses, with sleeve options

Pattern Sizing:
U.S. 8-20.  I sewed a "12".  After sewing the dress, it seemed that a "10" at the shoulders would have been better with this pattern.

 It is a fairly simple pattern to sew.  The cutting and sewing with my slight modifications altogether took nearly 7 hours (with a few little intermittent breaks).  I barely glanced at the directions  and just looked at the accompanying diagrams as cues.  Previous reviews of this pattern provided me with lots of inspiration.

Fabric Used:
ITY jersey from fashionfabricsclub.com

 
Favorite/Not-So-Favorite Features
I have always liked wrap dresses.  Maybe because I omitted the neckband and opted to topstitch a narrow hem, my neckline was uncomfortably low prompting me to wear a camisole underneath.   In my case,  I don't think the narrow neckband would make a significant difference.  The skirt for views "A" and "B" flared out more than expected due to being deceived by the model wearing view "A" shown on the envelope.  It seemed that she was wearing the skirt from views "C" and "D". 

Also it has been a while that I sewed a top or dress where there are separate pieces for the left (with the large pleat)  and right front bodice with the two pleats at the end, or simply my "sewing sense" has been misplaced after not sewing for awhile.  Instead of cutting one of each, I made the unintentional "goof" of cutting the left bodice twice (double layer of fabric).  So I omitted cutting the right bodice, replacing the right bodice with the "extra" left bodice piece.



Alterations/Modifications
*As previously mentioned above,  I omitted the neckband and did not use the right bodice piece due to my silly "goof". 

 

* Omitted my typical petite adjustment at the bodice fronts from my past experience sewing wrap dresses.  If I had a longer torso, I can easily imagine the waistline being not too far below my bust.

*Narrow back adjustment (remove 3/8" from the upper center back seam)

*Stitched the sleeves "flat" instead of setting them in. 

*Omitted the elastic.

*Took in the sides of the skirt, (from a size "12" to an "8")

*Shortened the skirt 3 1/2" to get the dress to knee length.

*Omitted the attached belt.  I did sew a long "detached" belt in the same fabric.  But I also like the option to use other belts.  I found a narrow red belt that complemented with the dress even more nicely than this wide brown belt I "borrowed" from a RTW top.


Conclusion:
I most likely would use this pattern once again, but using the more fitted skirt pieces and raising the neckline.  However, I still recommend this pattern.  It is fairly easy to sew.   You really cannot go wrong with a wrap dress.  It can flatter any figure.  

 


From Nine West: