quarantine projects: maxidress mash-up

We've now been isolating for over a month. It's not getting easier (one or the other of us has a slight breakdown every few days or so) and the desperation to be out in the world again versus the terror that we'll be let out again too soon and loads more people will die is, frankly, stressing me out. If we're trying to find whatever positives we can, then I've got: a) I can really tell that my therapy is working; b) I've remembered that I actually really enjoy baking, something I haven't done for years after being repeatedly belittled by a previous partner; c) our flat has some visible floor space for the first time in ages and d) I was able to bounce back from the jacket fiasco with reasonable speed and make a simple, happy, confidence-boosting dress.

Maxi dresses! I love maxi dresses SO MUCH, man. I show up in one, everybody goes, "oh, you dressed up!" and the fact that I just couldn't be bothered to co-ordinate shoes or worry about the state of my legs remains my own personal secret. They're the best possible effort to appearance of effort ratio you can get. Over the past few weeks I've discovered it even still works on me - I'll chuck on a maxi because it's the easiest possible thing, catch sight of myself in a mirror and think "hey, I'm fancy today". 

This is the only piece of fabric I've bought so far in quarantine; I was only intending to get a couple of spools of thread etc to tide me over for what I wrongly assumed to be the next couple of weeks, but faced with the prospect of cancelling some events we'd been planning for a long time I felt in need of a boost. I went with this sky blue viscose jersey which seemed not an overly risky purchase, suitably bright, and one of the more affordable options on the Minerva website. 

You probably recognise that this is the Vanessa Pouzet Wanted top. I've used this a few times to make maxi dresses, but it wasn't actually my intention for this dress. I'd only got as far as "use the skirt from Butterick 6051 with something else" and this was basically the first suitable pattern that came into my hand when searching through my pattern stash. My purple Butterick dress is still one of my absolute favourites for summer wear, but I do not want to make that top again, no sir. It was a complete accident that it came out as well as it did, and I have zero interest in basically redrafting the whole thing to make it more reliable. The skirt is just perfect though, and I've often wished I had more dresses like it. 

To make the top and bottom work together, I cropped the top severely (so much so that as a flat piece it looked like it wouldn't fit over my boobs) and cut a matching back waist inset as the pattern only includes the front. The skirt was definitely a couple of sizes larger than the top, but I didn't want to size down as one of my favourite things about the other dress is that it's not especially fitted and most of the shaping is made by cinching the back ties. I'm not willing to bet this was an intentional drafting decision, mind. I gathered it very slightly at the waist to get the two pieces to fit together and it works well. It's not quite as loose as the purple one but it doesn't cling to my stomach either, so we're all good. 

I'm so pleased with this. It works so much better than my previous Wanted mash-ups where I cut the front piece of the BHL Anna and then some random gathered panels to make up the rest of the skirt (not that I won't still wear those until they fall apart), it's comfortable enough for me to doss around at home in, and I actually feel like me when I'm wearing it. I have a lot of what I previously considered to be very comfortable clothes, but the comfort bar has been raised substantially by this much enforced sofa time and only the very easiest clothes to exist in will do. I don't intend to compromise on that, and it's nice to still be able to look fancy sometimes. If we're allowed out by the time summer comes, this will be the first thing a lot of people see me in.

I've budgeted for another two pieces of fabric over the next month or so. One is earmarked for an indigo denim or chambray jumpsuit, but the other may well end up being another one of these. I don't want to set myself any more super-challenging projects for quarantine (I initially thought that's exactly what I'd want, but nope, I want to zone out for two hours and have a finished item at the end of it, that's what helps me right now) and I especially don't want anything that I have to hang up in the wardrobe for an indefinite "when this is all over". I want nice, cheerful projects I can make use of immediately. Hopefully some suitable fabric will present itself! 

Up next will be my second jersey make of last week, a leopard print lounge set which is maybe the most ridiculous thing I've ever made. I love it. 

Butterick 6621 (twist version)

When I first made Butterick 6621 a couple of months ago, I'd already decided that I wanted to experiment with making the twist version. It's something I've always wanted to try, but on the assumption that it would either be very good or very bad for a large of stomach person like me, had never been willing to take the risk of a twist-specific pattern. Now that I already owned it, it was a different story.

It worked! It's really cute!

As I mentioned last week, this is the exact same fabric as my jumpsuit. I'd not originally thought of making my trial version this fancy, but realised that I don't actually have a standard-issue black evening dress (I have my Trina, which I love, but it's quite a specific look and not necessarily as versatile as a black evening dress ought to be) and if it worked there was a niche in my wardrobe it could fill.

Construction was actually fairly simple, once I got past the roadblock of my own making, where I accidentally put the instructions in with a different pattern and could only find the diagramless French instructions. I tried to go with it, realised that my French is terrible (I got an A* in GCSE French, but I'm also absolutely certain I've never known more than fourteen words of it), and put the whole thing on pause until I could find the English sheet.

The dress is made up of two front pieces, and one wraps over and round the other to create the twist. You're then left with a couple of darts to sew up, and the front is complete. It's not a difficult thing to do at all, but I wouldn't have got there from the pattern pieces and sparse French instructions. The whole thing was maybe a couple of hours' work

In terms of adjustments, I cut on a cheat FBA, ignored the neck binding piece to do my own thing, and shortened the sleeves by about an inch. I don't think I've ever had a short sleeve be the right length out of the packet; they're all a bit too long and cut my arm at a weird place. I didn't want to shorten the skirt too much as it messes with the proportion of the twist. 

This version is obviously a snugger fit than my sweater knit version, and for this view I think it's better that way. I think if it were a looser dress it would just feel like unpleasant bulk sitting on top of my stomach, but when it's tight like this the twist just eliminates the stomach cling I hate so much. I'm aware that's why they do this sort of thing for maternity dresses, but I am not wearing a maternity dress and let's not go there, please.

I'm also surprised by how much I like this neckline. I tend to shy away from V necks because they look horrific on me if the proportions are even slightly wrong (especially if it's not a very deep V), but this is really nice and balanced.

The one thing that does disappoint me a bit is that I was hoping this would be a good dress to go dancing in, and for me it's not. I have a super-wide high hip (almost the exact same measurement as my lower hip) and a few enthusiastic dance moves is enough to push the entire twist directly under my bust and make everything else unflattering and precarious. It's completely fine for a more sedate evening, though, and I'll definitely get plenty of wear out of it in dinner-and-cocktails situations.

Overall I'm super pleased with this dress and would cheerfully make another one. I originally thought that if this version worked I would make another in cotton jersey, but now I'm not so sure about that. For me and my body shape, this works perfectly in a heavier, super-stretchy fabric that allows me to wear the whole thing a little tighter, and I think I'd be looking for a fabric with similar properties were I to make a second one. It's actually entirely possible that I'll make another one in velvet; I'm a bit obsessed at the moment (you may have noticed), and I feel like I'm racing to catch up on all the velvet clothes I didn't make when I thought the fabric was too hard to work with. Not any more! All the shiny strokeable clothes! 

I'm not exactly sure what will be up next. I really want to get the stupid yellow cords done but also I've screwed this up THREE times already, so I'm weighing the pros and cons or either the time and expense it would take to make a test pair of whatever pattern I choose (I think it's going to be the CCP Jenny, just because I've been struck with the awful fascination of trying out a pair of overalls later), or the possibly of ruining my yellow trouser fabric for the fourth time. One way or another I WILL make a decision before the end of the month, goddammit. 

autumn sewing: Butterick 6621

Hi! I have had a hell of a week. We were without hot water for ten days (TEN) thanks to a series of increasingly farcical engineering misadventures that left me waiting at home every day for a phone call or unexpected visit that never came. It was rubbish. But on the plus side, I got a LOT of sewing done. Not only did I get both the dress and the trousers done, I also made an entire other shirt for Patrick. It's a lot better than the first one. But for now, dress time!

I've been considering B6621 for ages. I saw several awesome versions on other people and was waiting for the pattern to come out here, which is how I discovered that Americans get Big 4 patterns in smaller collections on a regular basis while we just get a giant pattern dump a few times a year. By the time it was available here it was getting too warm for this kind of dress, so I decided to put it off til the autumn. I was really excited about it though - three different variations on waist details without actually having a waist seam, and sometimes no waist seam is exactly what I want.

For my first attempt I decided to go with View B in the black and pink sweater knit from my Walthamstow post. The sweater knit is so soft and snuggly that I wanted to maximise my chances of at least being able to wear it around the house if I wasn't keen on the finished dress. Fortunately it turns out I am keen on it, and it's going to be a real workhorse dress as the days get colder.

I cut a 16 on the top (with a 2.5cm cut-on FBA) and a 20 in the skirt, and this is perfect for me. It doesn't cling but it's still nicely close-fitting. Obviously I also hacked five inches off the skirt because it's me and I do that. I didn't hate it full-length but I definitely wouldn't have worn it very often. I also cut the back as one piece because I didn't want to chop up the print. I'm really into how the back looks in this fabric and I'm glad I chose to do it this way.

The waist ties are single-layer and just hemmed, so the wrong side of the fabric can be visible. I considered doubling up but decided it would be too heavy. In future I absolutely would double them up as it's basically impossible to arrange the ties so that the entire wrong side is hidden. However, going for the single layer did mean I could copy the extremely wang-like diagrams.

Pictured: wang diagram. It amused me more than it should.

Next time I make this dress I'll probably substitute a different neckline. I don't hate the way it looks but I really don't like things touching my neck. If I have enough scraps left over I might even cut this neckband out and scoop the whole thing a little bit. Not much, just enough that I won't be able to feel it on my throat when I'm slouching around on the sofa.

I will be making more of these, and unusually I will probably try all of the views in the envelope. I definitely want to have a go at the twist version, as it's a detail I've seen in a few patterns but never had the confidence to go for (it's about a fifty-fifty shot of whether it would conceal or highlight my stomach). Now that I own it I'd like to try it out!

Next up: I'll be in France next week with some friends, so the Pietra post will come in two weeks' time. I really want to write about the shirt but I think I need to space out the Patrick posts a little. 

Butterick 6621 dress

Fabric: Sweater knit from Fabric Store in Walthamstow (possibly RIP? It was looking very depleted and sad last time I went there)
Cost: £4
Pattern details: Pullover jersey dresses with twist front, faux wrap or waist ties
Size: 16 top with FBA, 20 hips
Alterations: Back panel cut on the fold, 1 inch FBA, five inches taken off the skirt
Would make again/would recommend: Yes/Yes

Butterick 6051, or a Dairy Milk dress

Hey! How's your heatwave? This isn't the hottest summer I can remember, but it's definitely the longest. We've already had three months of straight summer weather (if you exclude that one day of rain and one random seven-minute hailstorm at the end of May) and we're only halfway into actual summer. What this means is that I need more maxi dresses.

I never wore maxi dresses before I started sewing because shops sold exactly two types: tank top-style jersey ones that had zero shaping or volume and clung to every single lump and bump; or ones with actual shaping that were far too bare on top to wear any kind of comfortable bra with. I got a fair amount of use out of my Kielos last year, but this year I have been wearing them non-stop. I am wearing nothing but maxi dresses and the occasional jumpsuit to stave off this heat. Only putting two more maxis on my summer plan was a mistake, as I discovered when I realised I had nothing to wear while my week's worth of laundry was drying. So here's Extra Maxi #1:

 This is Butterick 6051, made in a Dairy Milk purple viscose jersey I bought at Rolls and Rems (my go-to for solid-coloured jersey). It has a bunch of views: this surplice bodice with or without sleeves, a much looser version with kimono sleeves, and a tank style, with three skirt options. I made a combination of views A and B, with the short sleeves, back ties, and straight hem. 

This fit is mostly straight out of the packet. I cut the smallest size in the shoulders and the largest size in the hips, and I'm glad I did because this jersey is CLINGY. I didn't do an FBA and had plenty of space (I'm not sure I agree with their classification of this bodice as "fitted" because the back was pretty loose too), leaving me with only one issue: gaping. SO much gaping. The neckline is finished with a turn-and-hem job, which rarely works for me and certainly didn't this time. This was the major change I made: I took the piece of elastic I was meant to put in the waist and put it through the neckline instead. I'm not sure I quite got the length of elastic right but it's good enough: everything now sits exactly where I like it to sit and there's no danger of a wardrobe malfunction. This is pretty much my ideal surplice neckline proportion now that I've taken 1.5cm off to enclose the elastic.

For me, adding elastic to the waistline on this dress was unnecessary. It works perfectly fine without. The ties keep everything looking nicely fitted, and I just felt that an elastic channel might look a bit... odd? The line drawings for this view don't appear to show an elasticised waist, but it is in the instructions, and they tell you to make the channel using the seam allowance as normal. I can only picture that looking weird underneath the waist inset (which is only at the front of the dress), especially on me and my super-short waist. It might also be worth noting that the illustrations and line drawings for the looser bodice/gathered skirt views show a flat front and elasticated back, but the instructions are for a fully elasticated waist, so if you want the flat front look you've got some alterations to make. 

Overall I'm really pleased with this. It fits perfectly into my summer style, aka "as crazy glamorous as possible while also still basically wearing pyjamas" (this would be my style at all times if I could work out how to appropriately transfer it to colder temperatures, grrr) and I do love a good purple dress. This is definitely something I'd make again; if I extended the sleeves and swapped in a shorter skirt, it could be a great staple for autumn. I may or may not faff about with neckline finishing in the future, but for me and my oversized boobs some kind of elastic or neckband or similar is a must. 

Up next will probably be another round of maxi dresses. I'd really like to get on with the jacket, but I'm hesitant to commit to any such thing while I'm getting dramatically ill for several days after every weightlifting class. My body is seriously pathetic. "You made me lift 50lb over my head! How dare you! Here's MORE FLU!" Joke's on you, body. You're going to get strong, goddammit. 

Glamorous power pose! 

The Liberty print Christmas present of doom: my MANY THOUGHTS on Butterick 6837

ALRIGHT. Welcome to the most expensive and time-consuming project I have ever embarked upon.

I've been promising Patrick this dressing gown for at least the past two years. I don't make many things for him because everything he likes to wear is super-complicated and his standards are pretty high, but I thought this would be much closer adjacent to my wheelhouse. The reason it's taken this long is that it was impossible to find the right fabric. Patrick has extremely specific taste in prints and there just didn't seem to be anything that was right for him. After scouring Goldhawk Road, Shaukat, the Liberty website and anywhere else that claimed to sell Liberty silk, we concluded that silk just doesn't come in the kinds of prints he likes, and picked this Tana lawn instead.

That's some print, right?

The pattern is Butterick 6837. I'd never made it before, so I decided to make a toile out of an old duvet cover that had fallen apart in the wash. It was a nice soft duvet cover, so I had in the back of my mind that I could claim it for myself once the final version was finished. Sadly it was not to be; the toile was enormous, fit completely differently on each shoulder, and was generally unwearable for either of us. Assuming it was a cutting error on my part (which at least some of it must have been), I bought some cheap silky fabric and tried again. The second toile definitely helped me see where the errors were much more clearly, and having finished it I felt confident enough to move on to the proper expensive fabric. I learned a lot from that toile, most notably that this dressing gown looks horrendous on me. Turns out that "unisex" means "for men". It comes in men's sizes, is designed to fit a man's body, and in some cases makes design decisions which make the thing unwearable for women in ways that really wouldn't be the case the other way round.

Let's start with: it's giant. I started out making the L, but for the final version downsized to an M, and it's still pretty huge. I, with my gigantic hips, have plenty of room in this thing (I tried it on several times during construction, mostly for pocket placement things). I've never worked with a men's pattern (sorry "unisex pattern") before so I don't know if this is normal, but all the reviews of the pyjamas included in this set mentioned similar things. I did have a go at the tank top, which is the only thing in the envelope sized for women, and that definitely did NOT go over my hips, FYI.

Second: all the details are positioned very strangely. On the second toile I initially placed the belt carriers as I was told to, and was basically belting the thing over my ass. To get the belt to sit at the waist I had to yank the entire dressing gown up in a very ungainly fashion. I know I'm short-waisted, but I've never had this problem with dressing gowns before and also have never met a woman whose waist is where my ass is. I then discovered that this doesn't even work for men, because when I tried the toile on Patrick the first thing he said was, "Can you move the belt loops up? This is kind of uncomfortable." He's the exact height Butterick men's patterns are allegedly drafted for, so this is nonsense really. I moved them up two inches, which he said was much better. (For the final one I made my carriers by folding the raw edges into the middle, folding in half and edge stitching rather than making a tube and spending ages trying to turn it the right way round.)

According to the illustrations the pattern is designed to hit somewhere around the calf on the body they've drafted for, so I added several inches to the length. Based on the fabric guidelines and what I had I was expecting to be able to make a pair of matching shorts, but that turned out not to be the case, so I made a longer dressing gown and a nice work tie instead.

I also felt the pockets were placed way too low, and for the final robe I dispensed with the markers altogether and positioned the pockets directly on the finished garment as I was wearing it. That didn't make for the easiest pocket-attaching experience, and I still don't really like the way they look, but I do think this is an improvement. All of the detailing seems to have been designed for a man with a crazy long torso and crazy short legs. I put strips of contrast fabric across the top of the pockets because I felt it needed it, but since it was just me making things up the execution isn't great. It's the only thing I'm displeased with, though, which is quite a relief for a project this size.

I used a raspberry-coloured crepe-back satin for the contrast, and I'm very glad I did. On the toiles I used the same fabric for both the main and the contrast, and honestly it didn't look great. I also think using a slightly heavier fabric for the collar helps it to sit better. I know there's a kind of edging of the self fabric around most of my contrast pieces; that wasn't deliberate at first, but when I tried pressing it away I decided I didn't like that as much and left everything as it was. I also used some of the satin to make a spare belt (which I forgot to photograph, soz) since I'm fairly sure that the Tana lawn belt will be pretty disgusting after a few months of hard wear. It's already impossible to press the creases out.

Modelling!

Construction was fairly simple, aside from the shawl collar, which I'd never done before and was completely perplexed by. There are a million sewing tutorials on the internet, but none that were prepared to explain shawl collars to me in idiot-proof language. This was my third go and it didn't get less perplexing, but I think I managed it okay. I'm not in a hurry to do it again though.  The Tana lawn was wonderful to work with as always, the satin somewhat less so, but we got through it with only minimal threats directed at inanimate objects.

EDIT: I'm coming back to this a year and a half later to add something about the shawl collar. I didn't write about this at the time because I assumed that was just what shawl collars were like and I was an idiot, but I've now discovered that no, this pattern is weird. When I tried to pin the collar to the back shoulders I was absolutely convinced that the collar piece was way too long. I'd clipped into the corners but that wasn't making too much difference. What I eventually discovered (through a long and confusing internet rabbit hole that I can't even remember now) is that the point you have to clip to is WAY into the garment. The clip circles were so far in that I didn't realise that's what they were. I actually think calling it a "clip" is misleading, you have to chop into that corner to get the back shoulders to match up with the collar piece. At the time I assumed I just had an embarrassing gap in my knowledge, but it turns out that no, other people have been confused by this too. So if you're reading this because you're trying to make this pattern and got stuck at the collar, this may be what's throwing you!

All of the exposed seams are French seamed, and I finished all the unattached raw edges with Liberty bias binding. I'm not going to come anywhere near the expense level of this project for quite some time.

Overall I'm really pleased with this. Making it was kind of a fraught experience (stupidly expensive materials + unreliable pattern + intended for somebody else = ARGH) but I'm glad that I've done it and he really likes it. This style of dressing gown is exactly right for him, so from that angle I'm happy that I used it, but as a pattern I was not impressed at all. The next project in my queue is a dressing gown for myself using Vogue 8888, and I pray that goes more smoothly than this one did. Still, it's done, and I'm happy. And so is he. 

Before I wrap up, I'm going to share my tip for taking photos of camera-shy boyfriends: shout out a string of really terrible dad jokes. 

His favourite: Doctor doctor, I think I'm a bridge. What's come over you? Two cars and a lorry.

My favourite: Why is a duck in a microwave like an old soul singer? Because its bill withers. 

Goodnight, folks. I'm here all week.

autumn sewing: my very unseasonal Shakespeare dress

So this took me quite a long time.

There are several reasons this fairly simple dress took me three months to make. First, I didn't want to cut the fabric. This is a bit of a recurring theme for me, and I'm currently holding onto three lengths of slightly higher-end fabric that I'm reluctant to take the plunge on. Up until this dress, I thought I was just being a giant fraidy-cat. I kept looking at the fabric and the Cambie pattern I planned to use, feeling slightly dizzy and promising myself I'd cut into it next week, honest. It took two months of this before I realised the reason I was putting it off: this wasn't the right pattern and I didn't want that dress.

I still like the Cambie pattern and want to make another one. But it is a bit, well, sweet. Since "sweet" is not in any way part of my personal style, I made my first version in a dark green crepe which took the edge off the cutesiness a bit. I don't wear it that much because it is very much an office dress, but it's also an office dress that got an unprompted compliment from a billionaire, so it's earned its place in my wardrobe. I kept picturing the same style in this whimsical cotton, and it just wasn't working for me

What I ended up with is my old faithful combination of Anna bodice and Butterick 4443 skirt. Yes, I know, I make too many Anna bodices and I should branch out a bit. I do try. But it's so simple to make, and it actually fits me well because of the waist pleats. I have never been able to work out how to get a proper fit in the bust without them. Next year I will find at least one more go-to, I promise. For now, it's the one bodice I know fits very well, so I was less terrified about messing up expensive fabric.

I got the main dress all French-seamed up and looking fairly nice when I ran into problem number two. I'd always planned to fully line the dress for a neater appearance at the neckline and safeguard against how thin the fabric is, and I'd bought some white cotton for the lining ages ago. However, when it came to actually cutting it out, I realised it was about three times as thick as my main fabric and would probably do weird things to the hang of the dress (and look strange and be uncomfortable). The dress then hung on a hook waiting patiently for several weeks while I procrastinated over going lining shopping. I hate lining shopping; I find it to be such a crapshoot. Needs to not be too annoying to sew, needs to feel nice against the skin, needs to be synthetic so it doesn't stick to tights but also needs to not be incredibly static. I found what I thought was a decent fabric but sadly it turns out not to be. It is extra static and was a complete bitch to sew with. The dress feels much tighter than it did before lining it, so I think I lost a bit of ease while I was wrangling with it. Ugh.  For now it'll do, but going back and doing the lining again is not out of the question.

The truth is that I'm not as happy with this dress as I could be. It's slightly too tight (though I don't want to alter it yet as I've put on a fair bit of weight this past year due to a birth control I've just come off; I want to see where my weight is when my body gets used to itself again), the lining is terrible and because it's so cold in London right now I don't know when I'm going to wear it. And also the fabric still has text from the wrong play printed on it. I do think it's pretty though, so I'm going to put it away for a month or so, get all my Christmas sewing done (ever tried to make a Pokémon hat? Me neither, but I'm about to), and re-evaluate it in 2018.

Next week: a different skirt shape? Surely not. 

Butterick 6285, or nobody likes boob webbing

So, I can tell you right now (if the title didn't give it away) that this project was not a success. I knew it wasn't going to be a success about twenty minutes into sewing it up and I contemplated just throwing it out there and then without wasting any more of my time. But there aren't many reviews of this pattern that I could find, so I thought it would be worthwhile to get it finished and contribute my thoughts, even if I throw it away as soon as the post goes up. I didn't hem the sleeves, though, because I'm never going to wear it and who cares.

Looks OK, right? WRONG. 

IMMENSE BOOB WEBBING. Also, the fact that I have voluntarily put this completely horrendous photo on the internet should be proof enough of my commitment to truth in all its forms. 

Butterick 6285 is one of the Gertie patterns, which I haven't tried before (outside of the Vintage Casual book, which is a different kettle of aardvarks). The main body of the top is made from a single pattern piece, duplicated to make the left and right sides of the top, so this one piece forms the front, the back, and the sleeve. It's possible that on women without G cups, this construction does not result in boobweb, and I have seen pictures in other reviews that would indicate as such, though I think all the photos I've seen have been more Pose One than Pose Two.  

The fit on me altogether is very strange: I made a 16 and it's big round the chest, really tight round the arms (and the top is fully lined, which makes it worse), and flapping loose at the waist. Well, at the ribcage, if we're being honest; this top is SUPER short. Because of the construction, I'm not quite sure how you alter for a longer length. This is almost a shrug in the back, and every review I've read talks about a similar problem.

If I pull down hard on the back, I can almost get it to reach my natural waist. Almost. For picture-taking purposes the top was really hard to pair with anything I own; it's too short to wear with even a high-waisted skirt, too tight to accommodate any kind of sleeve, and looks weird if you can see the dress fabric at the neckline. This is literally the only dress I have that works. 

I like that this top has interesting construction. I'm a nerd, I think that's cool. But I also don't see what purpose it serves here. Yes, there's no shoulder seam, but is there any benefit to having no shoulder seam? Is it to allow for especially tight grown-on sleeves? Why? Were people asking for that? Maybe it's just so that the pattern will be different from standard wrap tops and again, I can appreciate that. It's just that I would have preferred a less interesting pattern that didn't give me boobweb. Picky, picky, picky.

So, to sum up, this a bad top and I don't like it. I still really want a wrap top, though. I want something that reaches my waist, can be used as a layering piece and has a shoulder seam instead of immense boob webbing. Since I seem to have acquired some actual readers over the last month or so, I'll try asking: has anyone used a wrap top pattern that they liked and would be prepared to recommend?