Burdastyle Woven Top

Last week I got together with a couple of sewing friends and we took a field trip to check out a new-to-us fabric store in Monterrey. It's called Slow Fiber, and we had a great time poking around. It's kind of a combo fabric and thrift store. They carry a small but nice selection of new fabrics and patterns, as well as a bunch of used patterns and cuts of fabric that are a joy to browse through. And they carry new and used notions and yarn. I got 4 spools of grey serger thread for $4 and Janet got enough of a pretty lavender yarn to make a sweater. I have to try one of their classes or sewing retreats one day soon.

I also snagged a one-yard cut of Australian print fabric for $5. I liked the colors and I was sure I could get a top out of it. Turned out that wasn't as easy as I thought. I used an old Burdastyle pattern from the June, 2011 issue. Top number 106B. It has a front and a back, both cut on the fold, plus a neck facing. Not a lot of pattern pieces, but no matter how I wrangled them I couldn't swing it without making some emergency modifications. I shortened the top by about 3 inches and cut the back in two pieces. I'm thinking of wearing it with high waisted pants and skirts, so short was OK by me.

But it ended up a bit too short even for a crop top, so I pieced together a hem band to add about 1.5 inches at the bottom. Lucky for me the print is so busy you have to look close to notice. 

I couldn't get the pattern to match across the back seam, so I flipped one piece to cut on the cross grain. That makes it looks like a design choice, right?

I made this pattern once many years ago. Probably in 2011, before I began committing my makes to the internet. I didn't like it at the time because it was boxier than I anticipated, but it turns out I've been wearing it quite a bit lately. It's one of those loose cotton tops that I can get away with wearing without a bra, which is always my preference. 

This is a handy little top and I'm glad I gave the pattern another go. I'll happily use it again if I want to show off a cute print. It's simple and quick to sew up and it doesn't use much fabric. But take my tip and if your fabric is 44 inches wide, try to get a yard and a quarter at least. Or be willing to spend some time playing pattern Tetris.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.