One Last Top -- Vogue 8151

I meant to have this top done by Friday, and actually did have it cut out Friday afternoon, with plans to have an evening sew-a-thon when Mother Nature decided to have other ideas. Power went off at our house Friday around 7:30-ish, and by the time it came back on at 10:30 I was ready for bed.

Ah, well, I did make it yesterday, but not in time to take pictures before family demands. Excuses, excuses. Here it is:

I'm trying out a Patty Snug Bug superwoman pose. I like it! (the pose). Yes, the fabric really is that neon, as well. It's a Michael Miller interlock knit from fabric.com, and it is so soft! This Vogue 8151 pattern wasn't in my queue, but it was in my stash. I've had some wool jersey that was in a queue in my head until suddenly it was spring. Y'all know how that goes.

Anyway, back to the pattern. I made it have short sleeves, obviously, and cut out size C which was the largest in the envelope, and matched my measurements. I did a quick and dirty tissue fit, declared it good to go, and whacked away. I want to LOVE this top, but there are some nitpicky fit issues that make me only love it. Not that the general public will be able to tell, but I'll confess to you, so you can proceed accordingly should you choose to make this.

#1. The shoulders are just too darn wide. It wouldn't have mattered much if I had even gone down to the size A, because they were all basically the same. Next time, I'll have to scoop some off at the shoulder/sleeve line.
#2. I should have cut out the size B. Even though there are 1" seam allowances figured in for knit differences, it really should be snugger for the ruching to work right, and it's a little baggy on me (just a little), and I used every bit of the 1" SA and more.

Which brings me to #3. Apparently, I can't get it through my thick head that wraps, even faux crossover type wraps like this one, might need some adjusting. Thankfully, in the instructions, it guides you to baste the sides first for fitting. Yes, basting is WAY easier to pick out of knit. To achieve a wee bit of modesty, you can see in the above pic that I simply pulled the front piece out further than the back to tighten it up. I did it on both sides. Clearly, when I make this again, I'll do that adjustment prior to cutting out.

Finally, and this is not really a fit thing, just an annoying thing, the ruching on the sides is made with 1/4" elastic stretched between two small circles and zigzagged onto the seam allowance. Well, this particular interlock knit is a bit hefty, and the elastic just isn't enough to accomplish the goal. I tried with both regular and clear elastic, and ended up using 2 pieces of elastic per side, and it still isn't really gathered like in the picture. Not being as gathered meant I folded up 2 inches for the hem instead of the recommended 1 inch.

All of that sounds like I'm dissatisfied, but really, I'm not. Just a few things I'll pay more attention to the next time I use this pattern.

Onto bottoms!! (and my RTW jacket... mustn't forget that!)