The Gray, the Blue, and the Web-ly

Having not made anything yet from the June edition, and already the July edition arrived in my mailbox!   My goal is to sew at least one item from Burda Style each month.  I still have not decided what to sew from June, but after browsing through the July issue, I immediately traced and cut the pattern pieces for #108,  the top with the bow tie and cap sleeves. The caption for this top came from the page adjacent to the one shown below.

Pattern Description:
From page 36 of  the July 2012 issue of Burda Style:
"Simply beautiful, this narrow-cut linen top with large bow at the neck edge.  The unfinished hem adds a trendy touch".  If I left my second version with unfinished hems, another touch would add fraying frenzy.

Pieces to be Cut:  Front, back, sleeve, front neck facing, back neck facing, and two rectangular strips for the armholes and one for the bow tie.  There are no pattern pieces for the rectangular pieces.  They are cut on the bias with specified lengths and widths. I did not  cut the front and back on the bias

Size: Burda Style Petite Sizes 17-21.   It is nowhere drafted too look like the top above.  Just by looking at the front and back pieces, I anticipated a boxy and shapeless top.  I sewed a "21" and it was quite spacious or had excessive ease.  It seemed to be drafted  for "vanity" Misses' sizes. The characteristics that I like are the flattering scoop neckline and tie front.  Other than that I originally created one billowing rectangle.

Rating:
One dot and a half, where one is the easiest.  I agree with the rating, if the top was sewn without alterations and unfinished hems.

I agree that it is easy if sewn the way it is styled: with the sleeve, bow tie, and lower hem left unfinished or  with their"frayed edges".  With the fabric that I was using I opted for a more "tailored" look: bow tie turned inside out after sewing the lengthwise edge right side of the fabric together, and topstitched sleeve and lower hems. 

The directions were sparse but not impossible to figure out if you have sewn garments with front and back facings, and armholes finished with a rectanglar band of fabric cut on the bias.

First version, the blue top, "Blued out of Proportion".  The blue tie below the neckline is difficult to see, but it is there.

I used a remnant in a nearly midnight blue colored stretch polyeste (perhaps a lighter weight type of ponte polyester?)  .

Instead of leaving the sleeve hem unfinished, I used the same bias band used to finish the armscye I was able to position the band at the lower edge of the sleeve, right sides together and stitch before stitching the sleeve seam in conjuction with seam of the lower armscye/sleeve hem facing, and stitching the side seam.

 

Due to the extra ease, I took in the side seams 1 1/2" at the widest part. If my fabric had less stretch, I probably would have taken in an additional 1" .  Although this pattern is sized for petites, I should have gone with my original intuition (or sewtuition) and shortened the bodice 1" front and back at the waist (petite adjustment).

Second version: a silver and gray top, "Silver Ada" 

* I used a remnant in a cotton/polyester/silk blend woven with no stretch.

* I transferred the changes I made in my blue top to the pattern pieces. I need to make accommodations for the type of fabric to be used. There is still some room in the neck and upper back area, but this time encountered constriction in the bust area and at the waist and hips. 

* I cut the front in two halves adding a 3/8" seam allowance at the center for the center seam, leaving a 4 1/2" slit  below the neckline for a keyhole opening. I top-stitched  a narrow vertical hem at each of the slit, pivoting at the junction point of the two hems or at the lower edge of the slit. A button and a little elasticized loop secures the keyhole.

*I cut the sleeves at the crosswise grain of the fabric so that the portions of the little fringed selvedge compose the lower edges. 

Third version: Spidra Dee

*I used a cotton woven which was more suitable fabric than those I previously used.

* The new Spider Man movie is premiering on July 3.  I thought it would be fun to participate in a Spider Man outfit sew-along with fellow sewists Cation Designs and Tanit-Isis.  What an opportune time for my daughter and myself to wear Spider Man themed outfits (Heather will have a Spidey skirt).

* San Diego Comic-Con International is coming soon.  Although I was not able to pre-order tickets this year and many years before that (each year the event is sold-out months in advance), I thought I sew my daughter and myself some outfits of one of our favorite comic book heroes to make us feel invin-sew-ble (now humming a few bars of Pat Benatar's "Invincible").

* I wish I had taken in the shoulder seams one size lower.  As a "design feature" I folded 3/4" from each shoulder seam and secured the ends of each fold with two little red buttons.

*I added a back center seam (5/8") to reduce excess fabric and to add some contour to the back
.

*The top fits better (neither tight nor very loose) than my first two versions with some shaping at the sides. But I prefer wearing a belt to reduce the "sack look". I found a red/black belt I made for a matching top.  I plan to purchase a bold red wide belt for a more updated look.

(I do not mean to offend anyone with my inaccurate finger gesture of Spidey shooting his web).

4th version (added the 4th of July) (more about this on a separate blog post):

 

Recommendation
Although this pattern did not seem to be drafted for petites, it is overall a simple and straightforward top to sew without alternations or after adjustments to the pattern.  I noticed that I should have cut the front and back for my silver top on the bias as directed. Possibly adding front/back darts or elasticized shaping at the waist and hips would be more flattering on me.

On the subject of "The Amazing Spider Man" for 2012:
Emma Stone, wearing a Roksanda Ilincic dress, in a photo call in Madrid, Spain  What is with her skirt? A ruffle scuffle? She could have worn #101 in the same color scheme.