One of my big goals for the year has been more me made tops. And you know how I love me some girly frills. The free Wardrobe by Me Hera blouse delivered on this in spades!
I had posted a poll on Instagram to help pick the fabric for my True Bias Roscoe. I secretly wanted the pink fabric to win but it didn’t, so I used it instead for the Hera. It was a perfect match!
Even though the fabric is a gauzy knit, it’s also very silky and has next to zero recovery so I treated it like a lightweight woven. The Hera instructions suggest sizing down when using a knit, but I didn’t do that since the stretch in the fabric is minimal. However, since it is a knit and won’t unravel, I got away without hemming either the peplum or the sleeves!
I did attempt to do a lettuce hem, but the fabric stretched horribly. And because it has such poor recovery, there was no salvaging it. So the raw hems win!
In case you can’t tell, I absolutely love everything about this (except the elastic…we’ll get to that in a sec). The color, the fabric, the way it all came together with this lovely pattern = LOVE! All the heart eyes!
I did mess up one little thing: I made the elastic a tad too small. BUT I also saved myself the headache of having to rip out the casing by actually adding in a buttonhole on the inside before serging it closed all the way around. This will allow me to remove the elastic if I want to without destroying the inside stitching. Which is especially important with a delicate fabric like this.
So when I wear it for too long, I get a little pressure around my mid-section from the elastic digging into me. Not the most comfortable thing, but also I could just shrink a little and it’ll become a non-issue. I also didn’t topstitch the casing down, so I wonder if this allows the elastic to twist around too freely, causing me more discomfort? I’m not really sure.
It could also be due to the fact that in my modifications, I moved the waist up a few inches. I did my typical 3″ off the length, 1.625″ FBA, and a 5’8″ high round back adjustment. The bodice ended up being exactly the same length as the Cashmerette Rivermont, which I also made as a peplum top. But that one doesn’t have elastic in it, so who knows. I could probably have used a 1/2″ narrow shoulder adjustment since the sleeve is a bit dropped, but I don’t really mind this at all.
Because of the FBA, I ended up with a dart, which was sewn into the casing. With a thicker fabric this would have been a disaster, but a diaphanous fabric like this it didn’t really matter. Next time I’ll just take the dart out. The FBA also moved the center front nearly 2″ from the original spot. Which makes sense, since I added 1.625″ to that area.
I probably could have lived with the unshortened bodice. I might try this next time and see if the fit is better.
Let’s talk about the pattern itself. The instructions come printed in landscape mode, which drives me crazy. I hate it (because I always staple them wrong!). However, they are brilliantly illustrated with line drawings that are very easy to understand. In fact I had a little trouble wrapping my head around the bias finish for the armholes, but the drawing is very clear. It was a different way of finishing with bias binding for me, so that was part of the trouble. But now that I’ve done it, I get it.
The PDF of the pattern itself is one of my favorite styles that I wish all pattern makers would utilize. As I’ve mentioned, I have a list of attributes I like in a PDF:
- Layered sizes: yes
- Colored lines by size: no
- No trim pattern: yes
- Prints to edge of paper: yes
- Print layout included: yes, page 3 of instructions
- A0 available: yes
With the exception of the lack of colored lines, this is one of the best PDF patterns out there. There are layers for each size, and the pattern lines print right up to the edge of the paper instead of getting cut off at the letter or A4 guideline. That means the overlapping of pages is that much easier—and they’re already trimless so that’s one less task to worry about when putting them together!
It’s a perfect spring and summer top! And did I mention: it’s FREE?! Get yours!
