PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT - SEWING THE VIVACE DOLMAN BY LOVE NOTIONS

This is my first sew of the Vivace Dolman and it got me thinking about how far I have come in my sewing adventure.

I remember my first sewing project was a mug rug and how ghastly it looked after I was finished.  

Demotivated but not giving up I pressed on to learn and master all the sewing techniques. Now I find that there is almost nothing that I cannot conquer when I put my mind to it.

I am not saying I do not make mistakes but there is hardly anything that I make nowadays that I look at and think " that is just a disaster". 

VIVACE DETAILS

The Vivace has very few pattern pieces - the front bodice, back bodice, back collar, front collar, and sleeve cuff are all that are required to sew up this easy pattern. 

Front and back collar pieces

The pattern comes in a top, tunic, and dress lengths which can be made in both knit and woven fabrics. The pattern includes different pattern pieces for each. As usual FBA pattern pieces are included and the size range is XS - 5X. 

VIVACE SEWING TECHNIQUES 

So while I was reading through the instructions before sewing up the Vivace,  I realized that there were a lot of great techniques involved in the construction of this pattern. Techniques that a few years ago, I dreaded doing or had no idea what they were. Techniques that I kept doing wrong each time I tried them. The good thing is that I kept trying them anyway. And, it is by practicing, that  I began to see how much my sewing has improved over the years.  

Here is a list of some of the sewing techniques that I came across in the Vivace. Now, this list is not to scare you away from sewing up the Vivace, I am actually encouraging you to try it! If you are new to sewing or afraid of woven patterns, afraid of your serger, afraid of messing up. I want you to take a step and try and learn something new. It does not even have to be this pattern, but a pattern you looked at and mentally decided that it was too hard. I am encouraging you to start practicing it until you can smile and say you did it! 

LIST OF INCLUDED SEWING TECHNIQUES 

  - Cutting on the grain

- Basting

- Pressing

- Stay Stitching

- Notching 

- Grading Seam Allowances

- Interfacing pattern pieces

- Understitching

-Top Stitching

- Sewing Curves

Understitching the lining of the collar to the seam allowance.
 I do that from the right side of the fabric

You probably didn't realize how many things you do during the construction of a garment right? I honestly can say that some of them I find less enjoyable - for example - ironing. When I just started learning to sew, I hated to iron. I still do, but realize it is not a step I can keep skipping if I want my garment to look great!  Strangely enough, I enjoy understitching and sewing curves, those techniques feel like fun to me. 

ENJOY THE ART OF SEWING

Sewing is a beautiful art,  nobody is paying you to do it, you are making this garment on your terms and your own time. That kind of liberation feels good, doesn't it?  That is exactly how I felt when I cut out this pattern this week! 

Sewing patterns cannot tell you every single thing, well-written patterns try, but at times, especially if you veer off the road of following instructions, you will have to make some decisions on your own. At times, these detours end up at happy places, other times they do not. When making the Vivace, the first thing I did was steer away from fabrics that I would normally sew. I decided on making the woven version and so knits that I have found so much comfort in sewing, were now out of the question. 

Also, I decided not to use the cotton fabrics I had on hand, since they did not have the required drape this pattern needed.  The pattern instructions suggested rayon, crepe, tencel and silk. This easy-fitting pattern would look gorgeous in any lightweight fabric I thought, so this time I decided to try a Minerva Exclusive Animal Song Viscose Challis Fabric.  The description said this fabric is made from wood pulp and more breathable than cotton. That was a definite motivator for me in this warm weather. I also loved the animal print design and thought it would look great on the Vivace which when you look at the design lines, comes across as a comfortable and timeless pattern to wear. 

PERSONAL PATTERN ADJUSTMENTS 

I am really a dress girl, but somehow I felt like making a top this time around. I always felt tunics made me look too short and so shied away from those lengths. Instead, I   choose to lengthen the top version by 2" because  I wanted to be sure that If I wore it to work and stretched to reach higher shelves, I would have enough length to cover my waist.  

PERSONAL BENEFITS OF THE VIVACE

Some of the best features I see with this pattern are : 

- It's loose fitting and therefore perfect for warmer weather wear.

- Easy pattern to dress up or down. Here it is for work and also styled for errands. 

Great for a day at the office

Comfy with leggings

 

PERSONAL CHALLENGES DURING CONSTRUCTION

- So the list of sewing techniques that you will have to use in this pattern must be followed to make a great top. But sometimes based on your fabric, expertise, or any other factors that will affect your sewing outcome, you can make changes to suit you.  What I did not realize at the time was that Rayon Challis has a tendency to stretch or grow when you’re working with it. Yikes!! In my case,  hindsight taught me that I need to iron interfacing on both the main and lining pieces of my neckband to keep them stable. 

Interfacing on the main fabric

-  I should have ironed the interfacing to my fabric first, then cut out my interfaced pattern pieces. This would give greater accuracy in cutting out my pattern pieces.  Since I did not, I had a bit of trouble fitting my neckband to the bodice. 

- One thing that did help me, was transferring all the notches to help me line things up. But I had clipped into my fabric and noticed that The notches began to fray. I was worried and made a mental note next time to use a fabric marker instead. 

SUCCESS !! 

Now, in my estimation, this sewing story ends well because I still came out with a beautiful top. But it has reminded me of how far I have come in sewing and also that it is always a learning process. No two projects are the same and I should always be prepared for anything. What I always try to do is to have fun and be sure that I try my best at each project. 

You can see me twirling in my Vivace on Instagram: 

Roomy and breathable

Great Design Style

GIVEAWAY, DISCOUNTS, AND SALES !!

If you are on the fence about the Vivace, I encourage you to give it a try.  If you are reading this blog between October 3 - 7 2022, then you are in luck to catch the 40%  off Love Notions Sale happening on the Love Notions Website.  You can quickly jump to read more about the Vivace Dolman and see it on more body types in the listing. 

If you decide to purchase this pattern, you can get an additional 10% off by using the code DEBBIE10 on this and any pattern during and after the sale. 

AND....Love Notions is having a great giveaway too !!  You can win a  Babylock Victory Serger for ANY order (not necessarily a purchase) that happens between October 3-7, 2022 - shipping anywhere in North America. That outside of North America will still be eligible to win an equivalent value in a pattern credit. 

If you got this far, thank you for reading and happy sewing!! 

Debbie 

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TEMPO SUNDRESS TOP HACK - EASY PEASY SEWING PATTERN BY LOVE NOTIONS

LOVE NOTIONS PATTERN - TEMPO DRESS HACK AND THREE  GIVEAWAYS !! 

Let me just start by saying this fabric did not have my name written all over it. Neither did I set out to make myself another Tempo Sundress. 

I actually was going to make a Dress for my niece with this beautiful fabric I got from Minerva . The fabric is a poly-cotton blend, lightweight and cool, and the colours are really lovely. 

The fabric kept calling my name and I somehow found myself tracing and cutting out a pattern for myself. The good thing is I do have a piece of fabric left that could still make something cute for her!

So I went ahead and made myself the Tempo Sundress by Love Notions. The Tempo Dress is a quick sew and is a great layering piece and it is made from woven fabric. So if you are heading into cooler climates I still think you can find it a useful pattern. Here are some more details about this pattern : 

The pattern comes in a dress  length only.  This is the dress version that I made last year.

But I have decided that since the fabric was technically not mine, I would make a top version instead so I did not use it all. 

PATTERN CHANGES

Since the pattern does not come with a top version, I cut the skirt at half the length the pattern pieces were made for.  See red line below.

If you cut the pattern straight across, you will end up with a handkerchief hem effect as shown on my top. However, if you want to maintain the skirt's smooth hem, you will need to transfer the same shape of the original hemline to your new top length. 

I also cut the skirt about 3” wider than the pattern calls for to give me more gathers at the waist (just a personal preference).

I was now ready to sew up the pattern as instructed and this was the end result.

 I choose to use the elastic in the back of the top since I had tried the shirred version in my first make (red skirt below ). Both the shirred and elastic channel versions fit well but I think I now love the elastic back version more than the shirred version because my skin is very sensitive and gets irritated easily.  The elastic version is a bit more gentle against my skin. 

 FREE PATTERN GIVEAWAY

If you love this pattern and would like to give it a try,  I am giving away a copy of this pattern to one lucky person who heads over to my Instagram page and comment under the Tempo Top Hack, telling me one thing you love about the  Tempo Sundress by Love Notions.  This giveaway closes on October 7, 2022.

LOVE NOTIONS SALE EVENT AND ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT CODE

So if you liked my top and dress versions and would love to make one for yourself or even a child, --yes there is a Kids Tempo Sundress, Love Notions is having a 40% off sale between  October 3-7 2022. You can also get an additional discount, by entering my code DEBBIE10 for 10% off any Love Notions pattern - even during this sale event. 

LOVE NOTIONS SERGER GIVEAWAY

Love Notions is giving away a Babylock Victory Serger for ANY order (not necessarily a purchase) that happens between October 3-7 - shipping anywhere in North America. That outside of North America will still be eligible to win an equivalent value in a pattern credit. 

So happy shopping and good luck with the giveaways!! 

PATTERN REVIEW: Zuri 3D Bow Top PDF Sewing Pattern by Patternbevy

I reached out to the designer from Patternbevy on Etsy and asked if I could sew up and promote one of her patterns. I chose to sew the Zuri Bow Top pattern.

You cannot help but notice how  very unique this top is and the end result is also beautiful. 

The Zuri Top comes in six sizes and I used a medium-weight linen to sew my version.  

PATTERN CHANGES

I trimmed the neckline down 1/2" for a more comfortable fit.

There is no bow knot pattern piece. I cut mine 2"  long by 2.5" wide. I used a 1/4" seam allowance to sew it. 

Also, to fit my body I think the pattern runs small and sizing up was necessary.

I also require additional length in the bodice as well(not adjusted in this version)  

CONSTRUCTION OF THE PATTERN

The pattern pieces do not include any seam allowance, so be sure to add that before you cut out your fabric. 

 The written tutorial only consists of steps to attach the Facing. To construct the rest of the pattern, you will need to watch the Youtube video. You will also need to watch the video tutorial to figure out the different lines on the pattern as the pattern pieces have unique shapes. 

Once I have my pattern pieces cut out, I went ahead and labeled the pattern pieces according to the video instructions. Do not skip this step as it will make sewing much easier.  Be sure that at each step your garment is looking the same way as per the video images. Be sure to cut all pattern pieces right sides up. 

Labeled pattern piece

The top overall is an easy sew, but I did run into some issues with the pattern pieces not lining up correctly to make the bow. 

The bow does take a bit of fiddling to get it to lay nicely. If you have a lightweight fabric, I suggest using interfacing on the bow pieces to ensure you get the stability of the bow. I hand-sewed my bow to the bodice to keep it upright. 

There is no instruction to close the back of the top and you would need to decide on the type of closure you want and adjust the pattern to accommodate that closure for your needs. 

The pattern is also only for a top, it does not include any instructions to finish the hem of the top and it does not include any skirt pieces. 

For my version, I decided to add a half-circle skirt to complete it. 

Thank you and happy sewing!!

WORK-- LOUNGE --SLEEP -- REPEAT ! - - THE LUNA LOUNGEWEAR BY LOVE NOTIONS - A Pattern Review

LOVE NOTIONS FEATURE FRIDAY $5 OFF: OLYMPIA DRESS

 

You all know how much I love the Olympia dress. The Olympia dress is a shawl collar design with an aline skirt and comes with several sleeve options. 

Recently I made this one for my sister and it turned out well. I used a beautiful polka dot from Minvera.  Polka Dots are in, and this rust colour certainly did not disappoint. Sometimes it is difficult wearing any shade of brown, but this colour was truly complimentary.

 

I love Olympia so much that I did a Youtube video on the Love Notions Channel a few months ago hacking it into two more beautiful designs shown below. 

This post will list all the things I love about the Olympia Dress and also offer you a coupon code that can be used today July 30, 2022, to get $5 off this and any Love Notions pattern (except the recently released Saltwhistle)

If you prefer to just jump and start shopping – here is the code to reduce your pattern price by $5  on Friday, July 30 2022 only : 

                                                        5FFDEBBIE

If you missed this $5 Feature Friday sale, no worries, you still can get a 10% discount off the price using code DEBBIE10. I would love for you to try this pattern and let me know how much you love it too!!

Here are a few reasons if you still need just a little coaxing about buying this pattern:

-  Fabric use is really not much. This is the fabric chart from the pattern so you can see what I mean 

-It is a gorgeous design ,  the shawl collar is high fashion -  a definite dress-up style!

     -   An easy sew is always a great feature for sewists, and this dress certainly fits into the easy-to-sew category. There are Youtube videos to show you how to sew it too!

-   - Goes well with other Love Notions patterns so you can hack/combine the bodice with the Sybil skirt, or you can combine the skirt portion with any dress bodice.

-  -  Unlined bodice makes it great for warm climates

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Olympia bodice paired with Pencil Sybil Skirt

Olympia bodice hacked into a Top

Happy sewing and please let me know what you think about this super cute pattern.

This blog contains affiliate links . It costs you nothing and I would love you to use the links if you enjoyed reading this article.

 

Pattern Review : Saltwhistle Top and Dress by Love Notions

 

Hello, today I am writing about the new pattern by Lovenotions called Saltwhistle. This pattern is a super cute square neckline top or dress pattern with a scalloped hem. The dress comes with three layers that are all attached at the waist (not to be mistaken with tiers which attach to the previous tier above it). This layer feature is super cool for colour blocking and eliminates the need for connector pieces as witha tiered dress.

In my version I only made the top and attached one layer to the bodice. See it in action over on my Instagram account

The neckline is squared in front and round in the back and finished with a facing. Each layer of the hem scallops are also finished with a facing.

Square Neckline

One of the best ways I learned to get the perfect square corners is to draw a line on your fabric at the corner or pivot point. You will sew up to that line , allow the needle to rest on the line you drew. Lift your presser foot, pivot and continue sewing. That way you maintain the seam allowance around the sharp corner and will have a clean finished scallop or neckline to show off.

Front Neckline shown with line markings and stitch line

Scallop shown with line markings and stitch line

If I were to rate this pattern I would say an adventerous beginner can accomplish sewing this pattern as long as you follow the steps as written. For a beautiful finish, do not skip pressing, trimming or understitching ! Sometimes these steps appear cumbersome but you will the end result!

The pattern calls for bias tape to finish the sleeveless version of the garment as well as to create the waist elastic casing. I made my own bias tape by cutting my fabric 1 1/2″ wide to achieve the same width as store bought bias tape.

All Love Notions patterns are drafted for the standard bust and a sepearate pattern for Full Bust options. For this pattern, darts are included in the Full Bust option to provided shape and structure if required.

The pattern comes with three sleeve options – sleeveless, puffed sleeves and bishop sleeves. I choose the puff sleeve options because it gives me more flexibility to wear it to work but also keeps me cool.

I used a challis rayon to make my top. Actually, this make was meant to be a muslin. For anyone who is new to sewing , a muslin is a sample garment that you will sew using inexpensive fabric just to see if the garment fits you well. Muslins are very important to identify fitting issues , and really should not be skipped. Thankfully for me, it turned out so beautiful, I did not need to sew another.

If you are interested in purchasing and sewing up this pattern. You can find it here XX and also get it for 10% off of the current price if you use the code DEBBIE10 at checkout.

Happy sewing and please let me know what you think about this super cute pattern .

This blog contains affiliate links . It costs you nothing and I would love you to use the links if you enjoyed reading this article.