Red Hearts Bellavista Top

 

Finished Bellavista top

     I have been buying quite a few patterns from Itch-to-Stitch lately.  When I went to the ASG conference in San Francisco this past summer, I bought fabric to make up some of them.  For this top though, I had this red hearts fabric in my stash.  I was going to donate it but then thought I would try the Bellavista top with it.  

Pattern

     I spent one day printing out the pattern and then taping all the pieces together.  As I have made several of her patterns already, I knew what sizes I needed.  It was a bit of a learning curve at first to use Adobe Acrobat to open up the file and then eliminate the sizes I didn't need.  That does make it so much easier to cut the pattern pieces when you don't have 20 different lines to choose from.

Collar detail

     I really liked the cowl neck on this top but it also has a scoop neck option.  The pattern also has two options for the sleeves, long or bell sleeve.  I chose the long sleeve version.

Shoulder detail

     The pattern went together very quickly.  I used my serger to do the seams and the stretch stitch on my sewing machine to do the hems.  I liked how the top is fitted through the shoulders and bust area but then swings away from the body to hide any bulges but not add a lot of bulk.

Hem detail

     There are three things I might try differently on the next one.  The sleeve felt a little snug so I might try a sleeve from another of her patterns that I like the fit better.  I also would like it just a little longer.  Third,  I might try making the top a bit longer so I would feel more comfortable wearing it with leggings.  

Me modeling my new top