Pattern Review: Vogue 8815 - Peplum Top

Every year I do it. I go on a mad sewing jig, and make myself nothing but dresses, dresses and more dresses. And that's fun for a while - I mean, who doesn't love a good frock on a sunshiney day? - but one day you wake up and think "Gah! I have hairy legs, a thumping headache and I've got loads of running around to do. Today is NOT a day for dresses. I simply cannot be bothered. Today is pants."

But my problem is that I then go to the wardrobe and do you think I can find a half-decent top amongst all those dresses? The sad truth, which I discover and then obviously promptly forget on a yearly basis, is nope. Nut. Nihna nihna zero. But this year I decided to buck the trend. I was going to make some tops, and make them funky! So when I saw that Vogue had a peplum pattern out, I was all over it.

Now, normally I don't really follow fashion trends. I tend to just buy patterns that I like, and often it can take me years to get around to sewing them, but because I'm not slavishly trying to emulate what is currently in the shops then that isn't a problem. But I cannot go past a good peplum. Even the name is good. Pep. Lum. Yum! So for once I find myself in the curious, for me, position of being on-trend. I figured that since I was embracing the whole 'wear-what's-in-the-fashion-mags' thing that I may as well go the whole hog.

So peplum? Check! Florals? Check! Fluros? Check! People turning to stare at me when I wear this down the street because it's so peplummey/florally/fluroey? Check!

This pattern was easy peasey to sew up. I made a couple of adjustments, namely creating a double layer peplum, plus I omitted the binding from the armholes. Instead of using binding there, I did a narrow hem instead.

The double peplum was simple to create - I simply measured off one that was half the length of the original peplum pattern piece. When it came to attaching the peplum to the bodice, the pattern asks you to sew each peplum piece to the corresponding bodice piece, then sew your side seams together. Instead of doing that, I sewed my bodice pieces together first, then sewed my peplum side seams to each other. I then basted the two peplum layers together, then attached those to the bodice. That way my peplum floats free all the way around the bodice.

Would I make this pattern again? Sure! It's comfy to wear, hides the mummy-tummy well (also means you can eat far too much at lunch and nobody will ever know - cue evil self-satisfied laugh) and fits well thanks to the double darts in the back. And it only takes 1m of fabric. Can't go wrong with that!

Project Details
Pattern - Vogue 8815, view A
Fabric - 1m of Amy Butler fabric from the Lark collection, purchased from GJ's Discount Fabrics.
Notions - 51cm invisible zip, yellow bias binding for the neckline, hook and eye.