Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Burda 05-2011-107, Ruched Front Top

Burda 05-2011-107 Thumbnail

As Cidell and I discussed in our recent podcast, the May issue of BurdaStyle gave me hope for the future. Although it still provided a diverse selection of giant sacks, it also contained some clothing with actual fitting and great details. One that immediately caught my eye was this top, Burda 05-2011-107, as well as the dress version. I love me some ruching, it is great for a little bit of tummy disguise. I was in the mode of looking for top patterns for my trip and it immediately went into the mix.

While I like the twisted strap idea--I used it in the Vogue 8386 dress in my avatar--I wanted shoulder coverage in the tops I was making for the bike trip. I also was not keen on the back view of this pattern, which is a single piece V. I am not crazy about patterns that have only a separate upper bodice and skirt in the front and not in the back.

For the upper bodice and lower back I turned to BWOF 08-2007-105, which I have used several times as the base for other patterns, such as my knockoff of New Look 6729 and my adaptation of plus size Burda 04-2008-128. I pulled it into service once again here. So technically I should probably review this as the 2007 pattern, but the most distinctive feature is from the 05-2011-107 pattern so I'm going with it.

Inside of Top I used one of the wicking waffle weaves I bought from FFC ($3.95/yd). The fabrics came in two different textures, a thick cotton-y texture, like the green for my S4076 twist top, and a thin, slightly sheer version that I used here. Because it was slightly sheer, I fully lined the upper bodice. This was also an easy way to finish the neckline and armscyes. I raised the neckline on the original draft simply by sewing up the center front seam further than marked.

The instructions for the ruched lower part have you gather both center front edges separately and then sew the pieces together. It seemed like it would be a challenge to sew two gathered edges together, so instead I sewed the center front seam with ungathered edges. Once it was sewn, I put in gathering stitches on either side of the seam and gathered. That worked ok, but I couldn't get the seam to stay gathered. I tried zigzagging over it, but that did nothing. Then I hand-gathered, which was ok but still not very stable (if my gathering thread popped I'd be SOL) and the gathers wouldn't remain evenly distributed. My third method was the charm: cutting a length of elastic to the finished length I wanted and stretching the elastic while sewing it to the CF seam. I probably should have stuck with the method in the directions!

Back This fabric, though it is a jersey, is not very stretchy. I didn't really notice this until it was made, but you can see from the back that I really should have sized up. It is super tight over my large lats (need to do a broad back adjustment on knits, too). It is also much clingier than I would prefer at the waist, but if it is not well-fitted there the ruching will droop so I think showing waist lumps and bumps is what you get for disguising tummy lumps and bumps.

Front Something ended up weird about the bust on this top. Though I have used the pattern several times and not had any trouble with it hanging off the bust rather than gently cupping the area, here there was no cupping. I did a little bit of hand gathering under the bust to try to create some shape, but it is not a perfect solution. I'm not sure what I'd need to do in the future; maybe gather the upper bust piece before stitching to the lower bodice?

Although the fit of this top isn't perfect, I quite like it. It was as flattering (from the front) as I'd hoped, and has a great style. A pattern with a separate upper bodice was a great fit for the thin fabric; it would have been needlessly hot to double the entire top, and self-lining the upper bodice dealt with the sheerness factor nicely.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

14 comments:

okie2thfairy said...

Do you think you actually might need to lengthen the upper bust piece and then go down a size? It looks like it's a little big but then short. I love the top on you! I'm being ultra-particular when suggesting changes but I thought I'd throw that out for thought. Can't wait to see what you finally decide.

Anonymous said...

Really nice pattern adaptation. And that has got to be one of my favorite finished item pictures ever:).

Samina said...

I'm not knowledgeable to suggest any fixes on the top, but I really like the print on that skirt. What fabric is that? BTW, I think you're going to have go up a shoes size. Those look a little too small :-p

Clio said...

Very flattering - nary a lump or bump in sight!
Nice clogs! ha ha ha

Connie said...

Funny how fabrics act so differently! I like the outcome- the whole outfit is "heel mooi"

Debi said...

LOVE that first picture! How much fun! The top looks fantastic too (I'm a big fan of ruching!)

LC said...

I think the shoes make your waist look smaller. The top is cute and please why on earth do you need "tummy disguise", you look great to me!

Big in Japan said...

I realize this post is about the top, but let's talk shoes! I LOVE those clogs!! And your skirt is pretty cool too!

Kyle said...

The clogs are great!!
Cute shirt, I love all the activewear you've been making. Maybe I'll have to try making activewear someday!

MushyWear said...

Great job adapting your pattern to get it the way you wanted. I really like the shape of the v-neck front on this one!

Mrs. Micawber said...

Could the bodice fitting problem be due to the weave of the fabric? Those wicking fabrics don't seem to have much give or memory. Maybe try changing the grain orientation?

That said, the ruching is great. Very cute top. Love the sandals - they look like the Danskos I've been coveting this summer.

Eugenia said...

I love the beautiful colour of this top and the rucking is really lovely. I love your clogs - what a fun photo!

McVal said...

Very nice color on you! That's too bad you had some trouble with the cup area. It still looks super cute!

Cennetta said...

I really like your redesign of this top. Your version is much more appealing. Thank you for the details.