Tested: Clara Wrap Top

I’ve been wanting to try a little wrap top for ages, but couldn’t find the right pattern. Years ago, I tried the Papercut Coppelia wrap top, and had a few serious fitting issues that I was unable to resolve at the time, being a beginner sewist. So, when Greenstyle, one of my favorite pattern companies, started working on this design, I was super excited.

That was a few months ago, and you’ve probably seen several teasers of the Clara top, since it was initially released as an exclusive part of the Sew Fab Bundle. Trouble was, if you didn’t want to purchase 5 of the bundle patterns, you had to wait, but thankfully, the wait is over, and the Clara is available on its own now! I’m glad I was able to be a tester for this pattern, because I’m not sure I could have been patient enough otherwise… (every ounce of patience I have goes into homeschooling, with about .0001 left over for pattern abstinence).

The Clara is a really quick little sew, and aside from the ties, takes a really small amount of fabric. The front neckline is finished with binding (I used my favorite method shared here), and between my serger and coverstitch I was able to sew this up in under two hours.

My first Clara was made from Bamboo jersey from the Fabric Fairy– they’ve got the best bamboo, hands down, from any other shop I’ve tried, and the colors are gorgeous.

Because the wrong side of the tie will show when it’s wrapped, I highly recommend finding a solid or yarn dyed print for this top, and this deep teal colored fabric was perfect.

Many testers styled their wrap tops with leggings (like the Inspires!), which looks amazing, but I wanted to showcase a slightly dressier look, so I chose this chiffon overlay skirt I’ve had in my closet for awhile with a simple black tank underneath for modesty.

You could potentially wear this without a cami, but I just feel more secure around the kids with an extra layer under there- you never know when the toddler’s going to get grabby!

My only fit issue, was that the bust darts weren’t a perfect fit on me (too high, too much volume in the cup). I’m much smaller busted than the C cup Greenstyle drafts for, so this is not surprising, and I ended up making a second Clara from wine colored double brushed poly (from So Sew English_ without the darts, which I really prefer.

I eliminated them simply by folding them out on my pattern tissue (I like to trace my patterns onto medical exam paper), and cutting the top as if they weren’t there. A small bust adjustment would probably have been more technically correct, but this was fast, easy and effective.

Now that our weather has warmed up quite a bit, I’m thinking a short sleeved version is in order! Oh, and if you’re having difficulty with getting a good bow (my bow tying skills need some work!) I highly recommend checking out this YouTube video.

Melanie Burns recommended it to me, and she’s a bow tying pro! Thanks Melanie!

You can grab the pattern on sale HERE! If you haven’t already, I’d love to connect with you on Instagram– I have such fun posting stories and photos there!

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