Pattern Review: Simplicity 8016 Sewing Pattern

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I fell in love with the Simplicity 8016 sewing pattern as soon as I saw the envelope. This top had everything I was looking for: Fitted through the shoulders, lace details, tunic length, and a swing hem. I also had recently purchased lace fabric and some ITY fabric with a bold floral print for my stash. These were perfect for the pattern.

ITY or “interlock twist yarn” fabric was new for me. I found it online for a great price so I picked it up without knowing exactly what to expect. This fabric is flowy and drapey, so it’s commonly used for dresses. That also made it perfect for this swing top pattern. I love how it feels, but I don’t find it to be a very breathable fabric. For that reason I feel like this top will be best for fall & winter, which is fine by me because the floral pattern has a lot of fall colors.

About the Pattern

This pattern is designed for knit fabrics. If you’re making View C or D (the view I made), you will also need stretch lace. It’s sometimes a little harder to find stretch lace in my opinion. When shopping for lace, make sure it’s truly a stretch lace and doesn’t just have “mechanical stretch.” Mechanical stretch refers to the natural way that lace fabric will stretch when pulled because of the open weave.

This pattern has 4 options to make:

• View A is a tunic with a pointed (V-shaped) swing hem and 3/4 length sleeves.
• View B has the same hem style as View A, but is sleeveless.
• View C is a sleeveless tunic with an a-line swing hem and a lace yoke.
• View D (what I made) is an a-line tunic with a swing hem, a lace yoke, and 3/4 length sleeves with lace cuffs.

Simplicity 8016 Pros & Cons

Overall, this pattern was very easy to follow. The only part I struggled with was hemming the neck. The pattern instructs you to use single-fold bias tape to reinforce the neckline (and the sleeve openings on Views B and C).

Because you’re using stretch fabric and bias tape is not stretchy, I found it incredibly difficult to attach bias tape without it bagging out and creating an unflattering neckline. Admittedly, I’m not very experienced with bias tape. However, I couldn’t make it work. In the end, I folded and pressed the neck line under, then used a cover stitch machine to sew it in place.

Other than having difficulty with the bias tape, I love how the pattern turned out. It’s one of the most flattering shirts I’ve ever made and I love how it fits.

Sewing Machine & Notion Requirements

For this pattern, I used my serger and cover stitch machine for everything. If you don’t have a cover stitch machine, the hemming can also be done with a regular machine. You could also make this pattern without a serger as long as you use a stretch stitch.

However, I think this would be more difficult if you wanted to make View C or D because of the lace. There are many different kinds of lace, and some unravel more easily than others. My lace frayed pretty badly on the edges, and I don’t know how well the shirt would hold up without serging the seams.

If you’re making one of the lace views, I highly recommend using these quilting clips instead of pins. They work really well for keeping lace securely in place.

Would I make this pattern again?

I would definitely make this pattern again and already have ideas for my next one. This pattern is designed to be really flattering and comfortable. Aside from skipping the bias tape, there isn’t anything I would change when making this pattern again.