In a flurry of somewhat optimistic spring sewing, I made the top version of the Flor from Bella Loves Patterns. It’s a super-ruffly wrap top and dress that can be made in floaty viscose for a dreamy romantic vibe, or in a more structured cotton for full-on drama. Unintentionally, I fell into the latter, and the top is somewhat attention grabbing!
The pattern has two variations: a cropped top and a dress, both of which have the wrap-over detail and massive ruffle going right over the princess seams. I’m not sure if I’d get much wear from the dress so I decided to make the cropped shirt version. As a wearable toile, I used white polka dot cotton offcuts from my Lennox shirt. This is quite a sturdy cotton, so the ruffles really stand to attention!
As per my usual adjustments, I added 2cm to the bodice length and the final top is the perfect cropped length. Adding 2cm did make quite a ‘step’ at the long cross-over front pieces so I kind of just went in the middle and hoped for the best:
The construction was straight-forward and the instructions nice and clear, with detailed steps and clearly illustrated images. With its white background, my fabric is ever so slightly transparent so I under-stitched the seam of the ruffle so it’s not seen – minor but something that would bug me! I also stitched in the ditch to hold the ruffles down on the shoulder. They are rather massive; I totally underestimated just how big they’d be, so I did this extra bit of stitching to hold them down!
A lovely detail with this is the wrap-around waist ties actually loop through the bottom of the top. I’ve made and worn wrap tops in the past that tie round below the top itself and it just slides all over the place. The small side opening you create to slide the tie through is perfectly placed and means it all sits nice and neatly.
I’m really pleased with the fit; I cut a straight size 8 and it’s true to size. The cross-over is fairly low so I’ll add a popper, but otherwise it’s all good to go! I’m not sure if the ruffles are a bit much for me so I may see if I can chop them down a bit, particularly at the back as they’re creating more volume than I’m used to! The waist tie is lovely and the perfect length for tying a nice bow.
This pattern came out last year and I think Isabela was ahead of the curve – this is so on trend right now and I’m sure there will be many more Flors popping up. The ones I’ve seen are beau.ti.ful; search #BLPFlor on Instagram and you’ll see what I mean!
aliceirvine.com 