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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