Gathered-Licious!

After the famous pop hit with this ending, all my mind has been too "icious"!

After seeing this top from Burda WOF's June 2008 issue, I had to make it!

I already made two versions of this asymmetical, gathered knit top!



I'm very happy with the results, despite some goofs along the way!


I call this "easy as 1-2-3" top my "Comedy of Errors". Unlike the other reviewers of this top, I made goofs that I could roll on the floor and giggle away! But then what makes life interesing is our unique experiences!


Pattern Description
"A T-shirt is just a T-shirt? No way! This style is a real highlight with its clever gathers and a mock wrap-over front!" My nickname for this knit top is "the asymmetrical knit top with gathering on the wearer's PREFERRED side." Something I learned about gathering on a certain side. If you have a certain preference, go with it! By the way the other front side is also gathered but at a lower section.


Size
Burda sizes 34-42. I sewed a "42".

Pattern pieces
Front (x1), left side front (x1), back on a fold (x1), sleeve (x2), front facing, on a fold (x1), back facing (x1). I borrowed a collar piece from a 70's Simplicity shirt pattern. I added 5/8" to the facings which seemed unusually narrow to me.

Likes
* Simple to construct once I was certain about the steps!
* Few pattern pieces to trace and cut
* Gathering at one side
* Versatile/adaptable


Dislikes
*Sparse directions
*The top seemed more asymmetrical on the front edge than what was represented on the technical drawing
*The neckline is lower and wider than I expected, but wait, this is a Burda WOF! So this should be expected!
*For my unusual figure type, the gathering/ruching works better for me if it were placed on my right-hand side, contrary to what's on the technical drawing!



Directions
Sparse but sufficient for those who have constructed shirts and tops before.

I'm one of those who could make more errors (due to taking things for granted!) on such an "easy" pattern as this one than those that are more advanced!


First version with Emma One Sock silky knit fabric
Maybe there was a subliminal reason why I cut two of the huge front piece and two of the left side front. I guess I have a force of habit of cutting two from a pattern piece. For the first step of construction, I gathered the left side of the front. Then I made a silly placement error of the left side piece to the front! The edges were so unaligned! My eyes somehow deceived me in the beginning because everything seemed to start off fine.

So instead of ripping apart the seams, I took my duplicate front piece which was the mirror image of the original and gathered the right hand side. So the top has gathers along the side opposite to what what was on Burda WOF. But it does not change the overall style anyway.


Second version with left over funky flowers jersey knit from my Vogue 8379 wrap dress.
I forgot to gather the lower right side of the top between the asterisks (oops, I forgot to mark them on the pattern piece!). Somehow I got away with it when I sewed both side seams of my first version. Then I could hum the Ms Spears' song, "Oop, I did it again!" with this second version! I realized that the back was obviously shorter than ther right hand seam. I know I cut the back piece correctly. Then I referred back to the technical drawings of the pattern pieces and realized that I was supposed to gather the right hand side of the front piece!

The directions are sufficient if you know the sewing basics. However, I skimmed over the directions, taking for granted, I knew what I was doing. Then,lo and behold, steps such as sewing the the seams of the front and back facing I thought were missing were written next to another step on the same square bullet!


Modifications

First version
* As mentioned earlier, I reversed the direction of the gathers.
* I added some elastic to bring up the wavy neckline. I should not have understitched because it loosened the neckline.

Second version
* I shortened the sleeves to 3/4 length due to shortage of material.
* I sewed in the sleeves flat instead of setting them in as directed.
* I added a collar for diversion from Burda's and decided to use the front and back facing.

After I tried on my second version with the gathering on the correct side (wearer's left-hand side). Then my inner voice said to me, "Hmmm. I told you so!" I noticed that since I am asymmetrical in the bust area (got more so as time goes on..), the gathering on my left-side emphasized it even more also causing the v point of the neckline to naturally shift in that area, causing more asymmetry! Having the gathers on my right hand side as in my first version provided some balance.


Conclusion
Despite some of my frustrations, I definitely recommend this top because it is really easy to put together! The styling is flattering to all figure types. I definitely recommend stabilizing the neckline with elastic instead of using the facing. I predict that this will be one of the "IT" tops for the season!