I was inspired to sew Vogue V9227 when I saw one slide across my Instagram.  I put it down on my Work Flowy list (I have all different kinds of list trackers) where I keep a running list  of things to buy at Joanns. It was approaching my birthday and I decided that I would give this top a try.

I found a rayon jersey that was described as Variegated Stripe but the stripes are uniformly spaced, so I am not sure what is variegated about them! I liked the strong lines and the black and white and found it visually interesting when positioned in the final pattern.

I am thrilled with the look and fit of this top!  I love the pointed front panels. The rayon jersey is very comfortable. I sewed size 18. (My retail size is 10-12) It is quite infuriating that pattern companies and commercial retail sizes are not in sync. I KNOW that I have to sew according to my measurements. But I don’t walk around with my measurements.  So it is hard to know what pattern size to purchase and also how much fabric to buy.  Consequently, I purchased 1/4 yard less than what I needed.  Consequently, I had to purchase an extra yard to fit the remaining pattern piece!  Lesson learned….. I probably could have tightened up some of the fit under the arm.  However, because the jersey has a lot of give, it doesn’t show up in any dramatic way.

If I make this again, I will add at least two inches to the length. It passed my mind that I should consider this, but I was so happy to spend a day sewing that I marched along to the tune of the directions. I don’t have many blouses and wanted to have one that I could wear untucked over my new pants.  I am longing to make some high-waisted pants. But my current pants are a little below the waist and if I raise my arms you would see some skin. And I don’t like that.  Not that I’m going to be raising my hands. But a few extra inches would give me a little more comfort.

I rather fudged my way through the collar. I followed the directions and have made collars before. But things seemed a bit wonky – perhaps due the knit nature of the fabric. The beauty of this striped fabric is that it hides the flaws.

I suppose I could have lined up the stripes on the button band.  But it doesn’t really bother me. Same with the collar.

The stripes fit my linear personality but having them on the diagonal gives this top a lot of punch.

I really enjoyed making this top and hope to make another one.