Vogue 1874, You need these ridiculous pleats

So I’m super excited about everything Vogue is doing this season: pleats, pleats, and ‘mo pleats in these tops, especially in Vogue 1874. As soon as I saw this pattern, I knew I was going to make this top at least twice.  

Vogue 1874 Pattern features:

The Vogue pattern features two views. 

View A is a long-sleeved version with a longer length.  View B features short sleeves, perfect for warmer weather. The collar is banded.  In the short-sleeved version, there are no sleeves to set.  The front and back pieces make up the sleeve, so this sews up pretty quickly. 

This sewing pattern is put together like a bodice.  If you are a beginner, make sure you can sew curves and understand how to make pleats.  

Some cool features of this sewing pattern are that the placket hides the button for a sharp, professional look.  If you made this top in silk (which I don’t know if I’d try), it makes have more drape but would definitely be work or happy-hour ready.  Again, if you are a beginner, this pattern features buttons, buttonholes, and the creation of a placket.  That’s as hard as this pattern gets.

Fabric for Vogue 1874

Try Ankara…

If this is your first time here, you may not understand my obsession with Ankara fabric, but it is an absolute obsession.  I feel like almost any pattern that calls for cotton fabric needs an Ankara experiment.  Why Ankara? Why not? And besides, I love color and pattern. Playing with pattern placement to achieve a whole new look is one of my favorite things about sewing.  I try to figure out what the eye sees and what illusions we can create with color combinations and patterns. Ankara fulfills all my needs to manipulate and distort patterns.

The second version I made of this pattern is here.  Check out the gallery post with suggestions. 

I do plan on making this top in a solid. 

Sewing Construction Tips for Vogue 1874:

Even though I’ve made plenty of tops and button-up shirts before, somehow, I got hung up on the right-sided placket creation maybe because it was late at night.  Make sure you read the instructions and highlight the key sewing steps. I try not to sew too late at night because that’s when crazy mistakes are made (or so it seems).

Petite adjustments:

I didn’t make any petite adjustments.  Petite sewists should note that there isn’t a lot of room for back-to-waist adjustments without shortening the pleats.  I would worry about distorting the pleats on the pattern.  

Be mindful of your styling if you make the long-sleeved version.  Let’s face it; a small frame can get lost in the pleats and the full sleeves, so proceed with caution.  When I sew the long-sleeved version, I will definitely show some skin on the bottom to balance out the fullness of the top.  I’m thinking shorts or cropped pants and definitely, something slimming. Leggings might work too.

Petite styling tips

This is a stand-alone piece.  I would not add an additional layering piece, such as a cardigan or a blazer. Wear heels and slimming pants to elongate your frame.

I paired my first make with the Hazel heel by Sam Edelman and the  10″ curvy skinny jeans by Madewell.