My "Feeling Chic" Top: Vogue 1515, Today's Fit by Sandra Betzina

 I have had this pattern in my stash for a while now. I bought it with no real fabric in mind. I was attracted by the “statement collar” and the silhouette of the top which I thought will work well for my rectangular shape.

So when I saw a fun community challenge on Instagram called #SewJapaneseInJanuary, I was motivated to join. I knew I had a lot of leftover Japanese fabrics from more recent projects and I decided to pull out this gorgeous Nano Iron linen called “Chant Et Poesie.” I used this fabric before to make a wrap top which I reviewed at Pattern Review.

This fabric had a border print and asymmetrically distributed blocks with variegated hues of black, blue and green. There are barely visible scribbles in indigo.

After a lot of thought, I decided to use the border print for the collar. I thought that pop of print was a great way to highlight the collar against the more solid looking bodice of the top.

Thoughts about the pattern:

*Sandra Betzina patterns are beginner-friendly. There are sewing tips included and the instructions cover not only the construction steps but also include specifics on finishing details.

*Depending on the fabric used, the style can go from casual to dressy. Imagine a brocade top combined with an organza collar. Or a ponte sweater knit with a faux-fur.

With that said, here are additional tips that will make sewing this pattern even faster!

*Make sure you have enough yardage of 3/8” wide elastic on hand. The pattern envelope says ½ yard is needed but in reality you will need more. Mine use 22.3”.

*If you want to place a specific part of your fabric on the collar, study the pattern piece. Consider the 5/8” seam allowance when you lay out the pattern piece on the fabric to make sure the print will show up after everything has been sewn together.

     

*When cutting the notches, include snipping the location of the center front and back of the top and the centers of the collar piece. You will need them later on to match pieces. 

*The finishing method in the pattern calls for a “mock flat fell seam.” My fabric was linen and tended to ravel so I simply serged them.

*The pattern also calls for grading seam allowances around the collar. When doing so, remember to trim more on the side that will not show through the right side. In my case, I skipped grading because my fabric was lightweight.

*You may wonder why the hemlines are faced with a wide bias cut fabric. The hemline is asymmetrical with the back lower than the front. There will be a tendency for the wrong side of the back to show so the wide facing helps. The bias cut helps make sure you are able to stretch the facing smoothly along the hemline.

*The shape of the top is loose and it widens from bust to hips. I found the armhole too low and a bit revealing. I had to make some fitting adjustments, shaving off almost one inch  from the side seam starting from the armhole and then tapering to nothing at the hemline. For subsequent versions, I think I will remove ½” from the shoulder width.

I love how my top turned out. I styled it with a pair of high waisted linen pants which I made last summer. I'm pretty sure this won't be the last you'll see of this pattern!