Viva La Vivace

A Versatile Pattern from Love Notions

Looking for a quick sew? Want something as comfy as a basic Tee, but elevated? Then the Vivace Dolman is the perfect pattern for you! I’ll be honest, when this pattern first was released, I had no interest in making one because dolman sleeves typically don’t look great on me. I should know better by now, because I think every Love Notions Dolman top looks good on me ( the La Bella Donna and Melody).  Last year when it was the $5 Friday pattern, I quickly sewed one up and I kicked myself for not sewing one up sooner. Its’ relaxed fit makes it cool to wear in warmer weather yet it’s also perfect in the cooler weather layered underneath a cardigan. And I just LOVE the cute overlapped V-neck!

In honor of today’s Feature Friday, I’ve sewn up another Vivace ( it’s hot off the machine!!) AND written a blog post all about it! The Vivace is just $5 today, 2/2/24, and you can get an extra 10% off by using the code 10LOVEMARY.

The Details

The Vivace is a classic dolman style with a unique overlapped V-neck and an added offset pleat. The pleat creates extra ease below the bust which creates the most flattering drape on all shapes and sizes!

• Dolman Style Sleeve
• 3 Length Options: shirt, tunic and knee-length dress
• Can be made with Knits OR Wovens
• Easy Fitting
• Quick and easy sew for a Confidant Beginner.

Sizing and Fit

The Vivace is available in sizes XS – 5X. As with all new and updated Love Notions pattern, it has a Full Bust Front pattern piece included.(Yay!). The Vivace is designed to be loose fitting. It is important to note that the drafted ease is different for the knit and woven versions.  The knit version has less positive ease. (It is extremely important that you use the correct pattern pieces for your fabric type!!)

The drafted ease is as follows:

Drafted Ease	Knit	Woven
Bust	2″-3″	5″-7″
Waist	7″-11″	12″-15″
Full Hip	2″-3″	5″-7″

Choose your size based upon your high bust measurement. If your high bust is more than 4″ larger than your full bust, use the included Full Bust Front pattern piece.

The shirt is designed to hit at the high hip. The tunic is designed to hit mid-thigh and the dress is designed to hit just above the knee.  As with all Love Notions patterns, the Vivace is designed for the height of 5′ 5″.

My Sizing and Alterations

I made my Vivaces in a size XL with the full bust piece since my high bust is 40″ and my full bust is 44′-45″(yes it varies). My 49″ hips actually put me between a 2X and 3X. Since the full bust front adds an additional 2″ to the hip I went ahead and graded to the 2X for the hip. 

I am only 5 feet tall, but I didn’t shortened the body length at all. This is a personal preference.  I have a very rounded high hip and I prefer for tops to not hit me in that area. This is why many times will not shorten a top even though I am lacking in height. 

Fabrics and Notions

The Vivace is a unique pattern since you can make it in either a knit or a woven. It is the same exact design, yet different pattern pieces have been drafted for the knit and woven versions. Regardless of whether you are making the knit or woven version~ you MUST use a fabric that has a nice drape to it!

For a knit Vivace, light to medium weight knits with at least 40% 4-way stretch are required. Knits such as Rayon Spandex, Rib Knits, ITY knits, Modal and Bamboo jerseys would all work nicely for a knit Vivace. I would NOT recommend cotton spandex jersey for this pattern. It’s very common to see sewists unhappy with any dolman pattern made from cotton spandex as it creates a very boxy look.

My top pick for a knit Vivace is definitely rib knit. Both of my versions featured in this blog were made from Rib Knit (see Fabric Resources at the end). I know many sewists love Rayon Spandex, however I dislike how clingy it is on me.

For a woven Vivace, light to medium weight fabrics with a good drape are required. Fabrics such as linen/rayon blends, rayon challis or rayon crepe, tencel and silk would all work nicely. You MUST avoid any woven that does not have a nice drape to it. Any fabric that is too “crisp” will not give favorable results.  Those fabrics would create a very boxy top and it I think it would look like a scrub top. (so if you work in the medical field and wear scrubs, go ahead and made a Vivace in quilting cotton!)

My top choice for a woven Vivace would be rayon challis or rayon crepe. (Raspberry Creek Fabrics has some of the best rayon challis I’ve ever worked with. (Nice and drapey, yet not too shifty). I have some RCF rayon challis set aside for my first woven Vivace.  Check back~ I’ll add it to this post when it’s done.

Notions

Thread and fusible interfacing

Sew Mary Mac’s Tips for the Vivace Dolman

• First and foremost~ make sure you use the correct pattern piece! There are different pattern pieces for the knit and woven versions.
• Use the recommended fabrics. Drape is SO important for this pattern to work well.
• Block Fuse your collar pieces. This preserves the accurate shape of your collar pieces. See the link below to read more about Block Fusing.
• Do NOT skip the stay stitching!
• Baste your collar on first to make sure you’ve gotten it sewn in correctly. It’s so much easier to take out basting stitches!
• Take advantage of the links in the tutorial. They are extremely helpful for sewing the pleat and the collar. These are especially helpful if you are a visual learner.

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Thanks for stopping by! I truly appreciate all of you that visit!  If you enjoyed this blog post, consider subscribing to my blog to stay up to date with all my posts!  

Mary Anne 🙂

Remember to follow me over on Instagram to see all my latest makes!  @sewmarymac

You can also follow my Facebook Page~ Sew Mary Mac. On this page you will find information on my makes from all pattern companies. If I know of any good sales(pattern or fabric) I will also feature this information. I have had many of my loyal followers send me friend requests on Facebook. I do post in the Love Notions group under Mary Anne MacLean, however this Facebook account is private. There is no sewing content on that Facebook Account.

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You can grab the Vivace Dolman pattern here.

 This is an affiliate link. It costs you nothing to purchase from this link, it just helps fund my fabric addiction which allows me to test and review more patterns.

To receive an additional 10% off the pattern price, use this coupon code 10LOVEMARY. This coupon code can be used at anytime on any pattern….even a $5 Feature Friday pattern.  My code does change quarterly, so please always check the newest blog post for an update if you find a code isn’t working.

Block Fusing

For more info and how to block fuse your pattern pieces, visit this Blog Post. This post is about the Ballad Blouse pattern, but if you scroll to the bottom you can read all about how I Block Fuse.

Fabric Resources

Both of my rib knits are from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. This is one of my favorite fabric bases to work with.  The Tropical Floral is retired Club print from a few seasons ago. The Aqua floral I had custom printed on the rib knit. You can find that fabric HERE. I love selecting designs from the Design Library and having them printed on whatever base I choose. As I stated, I love the Rib Knit, but I also love the French Terry, Sweatshirt Fleece and Brussels Washer Linen fabric bases as well. If you haven’t visited Raspberry Creek Fabrics website I highly recommend them! Great family (woman owned) business with excellent customer service.