Patrones 02/2007 - Cacharel Top

This is the first piece I've actually made for the PR SWAP competition. It's from the February 2007 Patrones and is a Cacharel design. (I had no idea they made anything other than gorgeous lingerie.) The top has very narrow shoulders and a gathered neckline with a ruffle along the front neckline only.

Size: I cut a 48 with no adjustments - this seems to be the equivalent of size 44/46 in burda which I use these days.

Fabric: Burnout cotton voile from India. I originally made this into a maternity dress, which never got worn. This top is from the skirt (same lining) and the ruffle is from the waist ties on the dress. I didn't even have to hem it.

Adjustments:

1. None for size.
   
2. The line drawings in Patrones seem like wishful thinking at times: the armscye is very low, but in the line drawing it looks high and tight. Always look at the pattern layout illustration - those pictures are much more representative of the pattern. Anyway, I made a quick muslin to confirm my suspicion. The shoulders on this are also really narrow - too narrow to cover my bra straps. So I added 1.5" all along the armscye, front and back. Almost perfect. Just over 1" would have been better.
3. I don't read Spanish - heck I don't read instructions (must be my testosterone-y side busting out), so I gathered the neckline to look flattering and gathered the ruffle to look pretty (to me) and hand sewed it on. This way I can take if off if I change my mind.
   

It's perfect for summer and fall.


Original Design:


Fanciful line drawing: