Tying up some loose ends . . .

This little number is from Burda World of Fashion, 5/2008 issue.  It’s view 120 and my version came out much more low cut than what was shown in the magazine.

I made this as a “wearable muslin” because I was interested in making the dress view 121 of which this is an element of.  I have decided NOT to make the dress, although I’ve seen many cute versions at PatternReview.  My fabric is this possessed rayon-lycra–very stretchy and difficult to work with (the color of the photo of me wearing the top is accurate).  I had a lot of difficulty with the bands.  The front band would have benefitted from a knit interfacing perhaps and a bigger seam allowance than I gave it (for some reason I only added 1/4″)–note how it’s rounded instead of pointy at center front. I ended up handsewing the sleeve bands to the inside as my fabric would not cooperate, even with basting.    I do like the gathers at the shoulders–gives it an old-fashioned look.  At first I thought this top was a wadder for certain, but I’ve found it looks okay layered over other tops, so it’s wearable after all.