Burda World of Fashion 07-2008-108

This top has been finished and waiting to be blogged for weeks.  I waited for just the right combination of sun, an available photographer, and time... and we got one shot before the camera said "memory card full."

So that's why I only have one photo.  I just gave up.

In any case, this is top #108 from the July 2008 issue of Burda world of Fashion (back before it was Burda Style.)  It's a simple tunic with a curved yoke and an inverted pleat.  Believe it or not, I've been wanting to make this top ever since the magazine came out almost six years ago.  I even went so far as to muslin it a few years back, but I didn't make it up at the time.  I can't remember now exactly why but I think it was because of fit issues through the upper bust/underarm area.

A few weeks back I dug it out and decided to give it another try.  I've been on a quest for easy tunic tops this year and this pattern seemed like it would be just the thing.  I had to re-trace and start over, but it's such a simple design that I didn't care.  I traced a 44 and tapered out to a 46 at the hip.  I didn't try to start with a 42 at the shoulder and I didn't make my normal petite adjustment because it always seems like I need the extra room with Burda's cut on sleeve patterns.  Maybe it's because my upper arms are chubby.  I raised the neckline 1/2"and lowered the top of the side seam the same amount.  A quick muslin seemed fine- the neckline was a bit wide, but I figured I could just take a smaller seam allowance and bring it in just a bit.  I had some drag lines in the back which seemed to indicate the back was too long.  So I shaved 1/4" off the top of the back bodice tapering to nothing at the side seam.

For the actual top, I omitted the pockets and the center back zip.  I cut the back yoke on the fold.  The neckline is plenty wide enough to go over my head without a zipper and the top is loose enough that I have no problems getting in and out of it.  The center back seam does have some subtle shaping so I kept that and I did make the vertical darts in back.  I also used stay tape to reinforce the top of the side seams.  That area gets a lot of stress and I didn't want it to rip during wear.

My fabric is a linen rayon blend purchased specifically for this project from Joann.  It's a gorgeous emerald green with a windowpane design woven into it.  I washed it in hot water and dried it on the highest setting to preshrink it.  It does wrinkle, but a short trip through the steam refresh cycle in the dryer perks it right up and smooths it out nicely.

I'm quite happy with the finished top, however, I do have a few quibbles.  The neckline is still too wide for my taste.  It just barely covers my bra straps.  That could be easily fixed, though.  The top has plenty of room through the hips, but it hits me right at the top of my thighs so when I sit down, wrinkles form across my lap.  You can just see them starting to appear in the photo above.  I like the length, so perhaps a different fabric would work better.  I also still feel like I need more room to move through the upper bust/underarm area.  I think I need to drop the side seam down another half inch or so.

So maybe I need to make this again.

In other news, I have not started on the Asymmetrical Dress.  The fabric arrived right before I headed out of town on a business trip.  Now that I'm back, I see that the print fabric doesn't quite match the solid red fabric.  Good thing I ordered a back-up!  More on that project later...