Doctor T Designs

While my first piece in my Sew Geeky mini wardrobe was clearly a direct interpretation of a screen costume from The Magicians, my second top in this collection is more a mashup of something I feel Queen Margot would approve of and something Alice would potentially be excited by in one of the alternate storylines or in her more rebellious phase.

To be honest, this Butterick pattern hasn’t really been on my radar, but I did pick it up at a pattern sale a while ago, and when putting together my Sew Geeky Fall Plans, this seemed like a good fit into the collection.  When I decided to try to bang out a mini “work” wardrobe for the Pattern Review contest, this seemed like a more work appropriate top than most of the others I’d chosen for this collection, so it made it’s way to the top of my sewing list.  Even though that mini-collection ended up not being an actual thing, I am very pleased with the construction and quality of the result:

Here is my official pattern review:

Pattern Description:  Princess seamed top with neckline, sleeve, and hem options.

Pattern Sizing:  Butterick sizes 6-14 and 14-22.  I used a size 12 at the shoulders and graded out to a 14 at the hem.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions were ok, but at this point I have my own preferred techniques for things like inserting an invisible zipper or finishing off seams.  I followed the general construction order, but I didn’t follow the actual instructions too closely.

Did it look like the photo/drawing when you were done with it?  Yes, I think it looked very much like the drawing for View A on the pattern packaging.

What did you particularly like/dislike about this pattern?  I like the style and fit of this top, with all of the princess seams for shaping.  I also like the the pattern indicates grain for normal fabrics and grain to use if you are trying to use a lace with a scalloped edge for a hem (my lace did not have this, so I just made a normal hem).  No dislikes.

Fabric used:  I used a blue poly lace from the Michael Levine Loft layered over a black leather-look ponte knit from FabricMart.  I reversed the lace so that the back side faces up – I think it adds additional depth, texture, and interest to the fabric.

Pattern alterations or design changes you made:  I added about 1/4″ to the front of the side panels at the hem.  It probably wasn’t strictly necessary, but after my muslin I was worried about having enough room at the hem.  Otherwise I made it exactly as drafted.

Would you sew this again?  Would you recommend it to others?  Maybe and yes.  This is a great top pattern, and it has a lot of great details as drafted, plus it is super simple to alter for fit because of the princess seams – the resulting fit is fantastic.  As I’m working to explore my own sense of style and wardrobe preferences, I think that this is perhaps not a style I need more of in my closet – I’m quite content with this single piece.  I am very pleased with the construction and how well the garment turned out, but I don’t think I really need another.  While I could possibly see myself making more lacy tops, more practically I think it could be a great pattern for workout gear in a technical knit because of the close fit.

Conclusion:  Great pattern!  I’m so excited I tried it, as I think it fits in well with the fall wardrobe collection I’m working on, and I’m really pleased with the results.