Surprising Versatility | Viki Sews Tally Bustier

Hello, Friends! I'm back with what is probably my last personal make of the year. *gasp* I feel like this has been a great sewing year for me and I was able to grow and experience a number of different sewing skills. And I experienced quite a few in this top specifically.

This is the Viki Sews Tally Bustier in a size 44, 170-176cm height.

Fabric

There is so much drama that goes into the making of this top, between printing the pdf pattern at the wrong scale and sewing it up in the last of my fabric at the smaller scale, that I don't have the energy to recount it all smh. But I will say, this isn't the fabric that it was originally supposed to be made out of.

If you check out my last post about the Aso Ebi skirt, the double-sided suede green fabric I used for the flounce was going to be what I used. I was making it with the shiny side as the main fabric and the suede side as the contrasting channels. But when I realized it was all wrong and had to find the closest thing I could to coordinate, I used suede for both the main bodice and the contrasting channels. I at least had enough of the original fabric left to have that color for the contrasting channels and have some semblance of color match for the skirt. 

**The photos most true-to-color are the ones from the wedding against the wall

Pattern

The Tally Bustier is quite the masterpiece of a pattern (and I have a feeling, all of the patterns from Viki Sews are). The instructions are clear and detailed, and instruct you on how to have the best-finished garment. All that to say, I was in a (less than) 24-hour time crunch and I didn't have the time to really dive into the pressing and finishing details the way I would've liked.

As far as size goes, the fit of this pattern is SPOT ON. Even without a bra, this bustier fits great. I think it's due to the fact that they don't have you grade between sizes on your own. You can only choose one size pattern from them to buy and they make you choose your height with your body measurements and they have it all graded that way. A lot of us aren't used to that, and probably would prefer to have multiple sizes for our use, but it seems like Viki Sews knows just what they're doing.

This pattern is fully lined and includes a zipper guard, which I'd never encountered before. In my rush, I wasn't able to trim and press the princess seams properly so there are lots of wrinkles all the way around the bustier as a result. That is probably my only regret because everything else process-wise worked out great. 

*Lining is the same lining used in this skirt.

Thoughts

This is a great pattern, and I want to make it again PROPERLY and take my time. I think this is probably a really good scrap-busting pattern as well, especially if you have 60in wide fabric.

I wanted to add these photos from Thanksgiving day to show the versatility of this bustier. I love that I can wear it in any season and still give off a chic vibe depending on the way I layer it.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

I will be back with some blasts from the past, so stay tuned!

xoxo,

Tasha