Hi Everyone,

You know when you have high hopes for a pattern and then it falls slightly short of the mark for whatever reason? This is one of those patterns, at least for me.

This is Simplicity 8454, which has been on my to-sew list ever since it came out. Whilst I have ended up with a (just about) wearable top, in terms of fit, it falls a little short of what I would like.

Don’t get me wrong, this top has already been worn out to the annual school fashion show, and I love the snake print chiffon that I used (unearthed from my stash). My main issue with the top is the fit through the upper bust, largely because of the curved yoke. For some reason, inspite of my doing a 1 inch FBA, it just feels…off , and I am not sure how to correct it, or if I want to.

As ever, my full review on this pattern is below.

Pattern Review

Pattern Description: 

Misses ruffle tops with sleeve variations. Add ruffles to yoke, sleeves and or hem for a romantic look.

I made view A but with the sleeves from view D. I initially did make the sleeves from view A but the fit through the upper sleeve didn’t feel comfortable at all (even though I did a 1 inch full arm adjustment, which included widening the upper sleeve by 1 inch).

Pattern Sizing:

6 – 22

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

For me this pattern just didn’t quite work out. Even though I did my fairly standard alterations, the fit through the upper bust is off, and it’s something to do with the curved yoke. I do love my fabric though 🙂 this top is not a complete wadder, I have worn it and it will continue to be worn, but it’s just not as good a fit as I would like. See my notes above and below about the sleeve fit too.

Fabric Used:

Snakeprint polyester chiffon.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

• 1 inch full bust adjustment
• Shortened bust dart by 1 inch
• Lengthened top by 2 inches
• Intially I cut the sleeves from view A but the fit through the upper sleeve didn’t feel comfortable at all (even though I did a 1 inch full arm adjustment, which included widening the upper sleeve by 1 inch). I had enough fabric left to cut the sleeves from view D and, again, I did a 1 inch full arm adjustment, which included adding the extra 1 inch to the sleeve flounce
• Shortened sleeve by 1.5 inch
• I did rolled hems using my overlocker on all the flounces
• If I make this again, the bust darts probably need to come down by about 0.75 inches

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I don’t think I will make this again. I have heard from another full busted sewist that she had the same experience with the fit through the upper bust. However, plenty of other sewists have successfully made this top up so I think it depends on the fullness of your bust as to the success of this top.

Conclusion: 

This is a fun top and I am loving the snakeprint. For me this pattern didn’t fully work out but don’t let that stop you giving it a try.

See you soon!