My Love Affair with Swiss Dot Continues

When it comes to summer fabrics, there are few things better than Swiss dot. It's light and airy, breezy, and soft and it's not meant to be ironed. You could iron it to smooth things out but like linen, it will laugh in your face an hour later. This makes it the perfect fabric for a tween's special occasion dress and for the newest release by Sewaholic Patterns, the Belcarra blouse.

Pattern Description:  Tasia from Sewaholic.net described it as "a simple pullover top with subtle waist shaping and raglan sleeves." Sounds about right to me..

Pattern Sizing: Available in sizes 0-16. Based on the sizing chart, I cut an 8.

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

Were the instructions easy to follow? I kind of ignored them. It's a rather straight forward top that's easily made up by anyone with a bit of sewing skill.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved it! I'd like to wow you with effusive and detailed praise but again, it's a really simple, straight forward design that's explained decently. It's not exactly genius and there aren't any unique details. It's just a nice wardrobe piece.

Fabric Used: Swiss dot from Hancock's, same as my daughter's confirmation dress. The sleeves are made from the same fabric but in a melon color. There were scraps leftover from a blouse I've had in progress since the fall.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't bother with the sleeve bands because I was feeling lazy. I have yet to finish the sleeves either. But as they are cut on the bias, they won't fray. So I might leave it.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Definitely. I have a number of them on my mind. I'd love to make an heirloom version. I'm trying to decide if I can turn the two piece raglan sleeve into one piece so I can insert lace there. I'd also be curious to see how it would turn out in a knit.

Conclusion: If you're looking for a simple top that will get a lot of use in your wardrobe in addition to being a quick sew that takes up very little fabric, you should really give this a try. Give it several tries as I can think of tons of variations. And look ma! No darts!

Btw, you know you are a sewing blogger when you select an outfit for your children's commencement ceremony based solely on the fact that you need pics of your newest creation to post.